Sample records for percutaneous transluminal route

The purpose of this article is to review PTCA, percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty, which can be considered to be a truly revolutionary and fairly simple invasive form of intervention to atherosclerotic obstruction. The 'epidemic' of IHD, ischaemic heart disease, in the Republic of South Africa calls for the employment of this technique, which has already been carried out in a few teaching hospitals in this country. Very recently, modified balloon dilatation catheters have been used percutaneously in the non-operative transluminal correction of congenital coarctation of the aorta in infants and children, congenital pulmonary value stenosis, and hypoplasia and stenosis of the pulmonary arteries. It has also been employed for PTCA and for the simultaneous occlusion of coronary-bronchial artery anastomosis using a detachable balloon. The isotopes thallium 201 and technetium 99 were also used in scintiscanning

Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) is a non-operative therapeutic procedure to the dilation of stenosis or to the recanalization of occlusion in atherosclerotic arteries using of dilatation catheters. PTA was performed 37 times in 34 patients with arteriosclerotic for 1 year and 4 months from March, 1982 to June, 1983 at department of radiology, Klinikum Barmen/west Germany. The results were as follows; 1. The male to female ratio was 2 : 1 and peak age range was from 61 to 70. 2. The most common indication was clinical stage II b with 19 cases (51.3%). 3. PTA was performed most commonly in superficial femora artery in 25 cases (67.5%). 4. Acute major complication occurred in 2 cases (5.4%). PTA is a alternative or complementary therapeutic procedure to vascular surgery.

The successful dilatation of postsurgical concentric stenosis of an internal carotid artery using percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) is reported here. Only one such case has been previously documented. Review of the literature disclosed 16 patients who received transluminal angioplasty for stenosis of carotid arteries by percutaneous or open arteriotomy techniques. The authors feel that PTA may be the treatment of choice for postoperative concentric stenosis of a short segment of the carotid artery as opposed to surgical repair. (orig.)

Renal artery stenosis is a frequent complication of kidney transplantation (10%). Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) has recently been proposed as a potential therapeutic procedure. Twelve transplant patients with arterial stenosis underwent PTA. The procedure was successful in 10 cases (83.3%). Restenosis occurred in 2 patients (16.7%); both of them underwent PTA successfully. No complications occurred. A considerable improvement in glomerular filtration rate and a reduction in high blood pressure were observed in all patients after successful PTA. The authors belive PTA to be the therapy of choice in the treatment of arterial stenoses in kidney transplant patients

PTA is a relatively new procedure which is still evolving. More technical improvements are needed. Stiffer balloon plastics and devices to measure arterial wall compliance during balloon inflation are predicted to lead to better long-term success rates. Increasing case numbers provide greater expertise and subsequent refinements in performance and case selection. These factors will lead to improved statistics. Other features of overall patient care must be considered also. The procedure is easy for patients to tolerate, and they can return to activities and work in three or four days. The overall cost is much cheaper than surgery, even at a conservative success rate of 65 percent. There is minimal risk and morbidity, and virtually no mortality. PTA can be repeated if the lesion recurs. Severe complications are rare and almost always surgically treatable. If PTA fails to achieve success, a traditional surgical procedure can be performed. Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty is an important therapeutic alternative to traditional medical and surgical treatment for occlusive arterial disease. It can save legs, veins, time, and money. We need to refine and accurately record the use of this procedure. Total cooperation among clinicians, surgeons, and radiologists is essential for proper utilization of PTA.

The subclavian steal syndrome is a rare vascular disease that can be managed by interventional radiology. It is presented the experience with three cases of this syndrome that underwent percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty, and a brief literature review is done. Two patients remained asymptomatic 23 and 30 months, respectively, after the procedure. One patient presented with recurrent symptoms 12 months after the dilatation. Considering the low morbidity and good clinical and technical results, percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty is the first choice in the subclavian steal syndrome treatment. (author). 9 refs., 3 figs

Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty was performed on 55 iliac and 31 femoropopliteal arteries in 71 patients with intermittent claudication (23 women, 48 men). The two-year patency rate was 80% after iliac and 41% after femoropopliteal angioplasty. In 17 femoropopliteal cases with lesions greater...... than or equal to 5 cm the 2-year patency rate was only 32%, but the corresponding figure for shorter lesions was 53%. Complicating haematoma appeared in 10% of the cases and the arterial state deteriorated in one patient. There was no distal embolization. Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty...

This paper establishes the ling-term and angiographic sequelae of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) of stenoses of the origins of the brachycephalic arteries. From November of the proximal segments of the brachycephalic arteries. Clinical follow-up after PTA was 45 months. Two patients had recurrence of vertigo, after 16 and 75 months. There was no evidence of restenosis in the patient whose recurrence was after 16 months, but considerable restenosis was noted in the patient whose symptoms recurred after 75 months. That patient underwent successful repeated PTA

textabstractThe efficacy of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) is usually expressed as the angiographic result. Access flow (Qa) measurements offer a means to quantify the functional effects. This study was performed to evaluate the short-term functional and

Objective: To discuss the complications of endovascular stenting for carotid artery stenosis. Methods: Cerebral vascular angiography and cervical Doppler sonography were performed in 648 patients with carotid artery stenosis. Emboli-protected device was used in 365 patients and none in 283 patients. Results: All 648 patients were technically successful (100%). Symptoms disappeared or improved in 78.7% patients. Slow heart rate during operation existed in 26.4% patients. Embolism caused by dislodgment of emboli occurred in 5 patients, 3 of them recovered after treatment and 2 had unilateral dyskinesias. Intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 3 patients. Stroke or death within 30 days after operation occurred in 6 patients(1.24%). 322 patients (77.8%)were followed up. Restenosis occurred in 17 patients(3.3%). Conclusion: Percutaneoustransluminal stenting is a safe option for carotid artery stenosis. Correct evaluation of clinical and angiographic data before operation, together with normative manipulation and nursing during and after operation are the key points to avoid complications. (authors)

Full Text Available Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA in the management of arterial stenosis located close to the allograft anastomosis (close-TRAS. Materials and Methods. 31 patients with renal transplants were admitted to our institution because of persistent hypertension and impairment of transplant renal function and underwent angiography for vascular investigation. 27 were diagnosed suffering from transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS, whereas 4 had severe iliac artery stenosis proximal to the transplant anastomosis (Prox-TRAS. 3 cases of TRAS coexisted with segmental renal arterial stenosis, whereas 3 other cases of TRAS were caused by kinking and focal stenosis in the middle of the transplanted renal artery. Results. Angioplasty and stenting were successfully applied to all patients with iliac artery stenosis as well as to those with TRAS and segmental artery stenosis. Two of three patients with kinking were well treated with angioplasty and stenting, whereas one treated only with angioplasty necessitated surgery. No major procedure-related complications appeared, and the result was decrease of the serum creatinine level and of the blood pressure. Conclusions. PTA is the appropriate initial treatment of TRAS and close-TRAS, with low morbidity and mortality rates, achieving improvement of graft function and amelioration of hypertension.

The usefulness of percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was assessed in patients with exercise-induced asymptomatic myocardial ischemia (silent ischemia) and compared with exercise-induced symptomatic myocardial ischemia (symptomatic ischemia). Patients with single vessel coronary artery disease (51 with angina pectoris, 40 with old myocardial infarction) and evidence of stress-induced ischemia on thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) underwent successful PTCA. Thirty-seven percent of angina patients and 60% of infarction patients showed asymptomatic exercise-induced ischemia. There was no significant difference in population characteristics between silent and symptomatic patients. Patients with silent angina had significantly higher percentage thallium uptake and washout rate than symptomatic patients. After PTCA, both percentage diameter stenosis and percentage thallium uptake were improved in all patients with angina irrespective of the presence or absence of symptoms. There were no significant differences in percentage thallium uptake and washout rate between patients with silent and symptomatic infarction. After PTCA, percentage diameter stenosis, percentage thallium uptake, and washout rate improved in all infarction patients irrespective of the symptoms. Zero percent of silent angina patients, 12% of symptomatic angina patients, 12% of silent infarction patients, 19% of symptomatic infarction patients had cardiac events during about 4.5 years after PTCA. The incidence of cardiac events did not significantly differ in any patient group. PTCA improved myocardial perfusion in all patients, and the incidence of cardiac events did not differ between the silent and symptomatic groups. Revascularization with PTCA is suitable for patients with silent as well as symptomatic ischemia. (author)

Successful percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty was performed in 3 cases of renal artery stenosis where the effect upon renal blood flow was quantified by video dilution technique. This technique adds important information to pressure gradients and renin assays obtained during the dilatation procedure. (Auth.)

Duplex scanning is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis and follow-up of arterial lesions, though most surgeons and radiologists currently still prefer diagnostic angiography prior to percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA). We performed PTA based on Duplex scanning alone in 31

To evaluate outcomes following treatment of transplant renal artery stenosis by percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty and stent insertion. A literature search was performed using Pubmed, MEDLINE, Embase, Wiley Interscience and the Cochrane Library databases. Outcome measures were glomerular

To evaluate the usefulness of the percutaneoustransluminal biopsy using 7-F forceps for diagnosing malignant biliary obstruction. One hundred and seven consecutive patients with obstructive jaundice underwent transluminal forceps biopsy. The lesions involved the common bile duct (n = 33), common hepatic duct (n = 13), hilum (n = 17), right or left intrahepatic bile duct (n = 32), multiple sites (extra and intrahepatic ducts, n = 7), or anastomotic sites (n = 5). In each patient, an average of three specimens was taken with 7F biopsy forceps through a transhepatic biliary drainage tract. The final diagnosis was confirmed with pathologic findings, or a clinical and radiologic follow up. The final diagnoses showed malignancies in 75 patients and benign biliary obstructions in 32 patients. Pathologic classifications of malignancies established by forceps biopsy included 67 adenocarcinomas, 1 adenosquamous cell carcinoma, and 1 hepatocelluar carcinoma. There were 6 false-negative diagnoses. The diagnostic performance of transluminal forceps biopsy in malignant biliary obstruction had a sensitivity of 92%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, a negative predictive value of 84.2%, and an accuracy of 94.2%. Percutaneoustransluminal forceps biopsy is a safe procedure that is easy to perform through a transhepatic biliary drainage tract. It is a highly accurate technique for diagnosing malignant biliary obstructions.

Nuclear techniques studies of the heart represent one of the fastest growing areas of research. Several years ago, nuclear medicine cardiac studies were limited for the evaluation and diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Development in radiopharmaceutical-chemistry and instrumentation have made possible advances in nuclear medicine for restenosis cardiovascular therapy after percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty.The radionuclide as radiation source can be delivered to the target basically by two techniques, those are catheter-based systems and radioactive stents. For this purpose,it can be use the γ and β emitter radionuclides, in which the β emitter radionuclides is an ideal radionuclide for endovascular therapy. Restenosis after percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty can be prevented by using the radioactive stent. This review discusses several techniques which could be used for restenosis cardiovascular therapy. Furthermore, several types of radiopharmaceutical and kinds of radionuclides as well as doses of the compounds for this purpose are also reviewed. (author)

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To evaluate the amputation-free survival after below the knee percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty in a consecutive group of patients with critical ischemia of the lower extremity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 70 consecutive patients with critical ischemia were treated......-up clinical examinations were performed within 6 weeks and after 1 year. All medical records were crosschecked with the national vascular registry ensuring a valid 1-year status in 97% of the patients. RESULTS: A total of 15 major amputations were performed during follow-up, with 11 amputations performed...... within the first year. Complications after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty were rare. Cumulative mortality after 1 and 2 years was 22% and 34%, respectively. Amputation-free survival at 1 and 2 years of follow-up was 68% and 58%, respectively. There were no association between known risk factors...

Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty is increasingly used in children. We present a case of successful balloon angioplasty of an occluded surgical splenorenal shunt in a 4-year-old child who underwent liver transplantation because of biliary atresia. Percutaneous reopening of the shunt is a relatively safe procedure that may spare patients of surgical intervention. (orig.)

Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty is increasingly used in children. We present a case of successful balloon angioplasty of an occluded surgical splenorenal shunt in a 4-year-old child who underwent liver transplantation because of biliary atresia. Percutaneous reopening of the shunt is a relatively safe procedure that may spare patients of surgical intervention. (orig.)

Full Text Available The incidence of splenic abscesses is currently 0.14–0.7% with a reported mortality of 0–47%. The diagnosis of splenic abscess which has ruptured into the abdomen is often overlooked because of its rarity and its misleading clinical presentations. Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs and coronary stenting procedures increased from 184,000 to 885,000 (from 335 to 1,550 and from 3,000 to 770,000 (from 5 to 1,350 per one million inhabitants, respectively. A 40-year-old Asian male presented to our emergency department with upper abdominal pain 5 days after a percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty. Clinical examination raised the possibilities of acute pancreatitis and intraabdominal sepsis. An initial ultrasound of the abdomen and blood tests were negative. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a splenic abscess that had ruptured into the abdomen. Pus culture revealed a multidrug-resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae that was sensitive to meropenem. The patient recovered quickly after open surgical drainage and antibiotic therapy. As this is the second case of splenic abscess and the first case report of a ruptured splenic abscess following a PCI, it will be rational to administer a short course of antibiotic prophylaxis for high-risk immunocompromised patients who are undergoing percutaneoustransluminal coronary intervention.

Membranous obstruction is the most common cause of Budd-Chiari syndrome in Orientals. Recently, percutaneoustransluminal balloon angioplasty (PTBA) has been successfully applied as a treatment of membranous obstruction. We evaluated etiologies and clinical manifestations in our cases and the usefulness of PTBA. Twelve cases of Budd-Chiari syndrome were analyzed. 50.3 years was the average age of the cases (ranging from 37 to 67 years). Major symptoms or signs were superficial collateral vessels on the chest or the abdomen in 6 cases, ascites in 3, abdominal pain in 4, hepatomegaly in 4, splenomegaly in 3, melena or hematemesis in 2, and leg edema in 2. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed esophageal varices in 6 cases and two of these 6 cases had gastric varices. Of 8 cases with liver cirrhosis, 4 were classified as Child-Pugh class A and 4 as B. Four patients with cirrhosis had concurrent hepatocellular carcinoma including 1 patient who was HBs Ag positive. Etiologies were membranous obstruction in 11 cases and protein C deficiency in 1 case. The main site of obstruction was IVC in 8 and hepatic vein in 4. PTBA was successfully performed in 8 cases of membranous obstruction. During the mean follow-up period of 27.6 months (12-40 months), there were no reobstructions except in 2 cases. The most common cause of Budd-Chiari syndrome in our cases was membranous obstruction of IVC. Percutaneoustransluminal balloon angioplasty is a very useful treatment method.

We present our experience with 105 patients in whom percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty was performed in 112 stenosed or occluded supra-aortic arteries. Symtoms of cerebrovascular and/or vertebrobasilar insufficiency were present in 104 of the 105 patients. The angioplasty was successful in 35 stenoses of the internal carotid artery, 2 stenoses of the common carotid artery, 1 stenosis of the external carotid artery, 15 stenoses of the vertebral artery, 3 stenoses of the innominate artery and 44 stenoses of the subclavian artery. There were only 4 minor-complications (2 haematomas, 1 transient ischemic attack, 1 small thrombus of the internal carotid artery which was detected by 111-indium platelet scintigraphy and treated by thrombendarterectomy before the appearance of neurological symptoms). All patients were symptom free after angioplasty. During the observations period of 3 to 109 months (average 58 months) there were only two cases with re-stenosis after subclavian angioplasty. The results of more than 700 personal and international published percutaneoustransluminal angioplasties of supra-aortic arteries are presented. The results suggest that angioplasty of supra-aortic arteries is an effective method. On strict definition of the indications, the complication rate for angioplasty of the supra-aortic arteries is not likely to be higher than that for operative treatment. (orig.).

To investigate the effect of nattokinase on intimal hyperplasia in rabbit abdominal artery after balloon injury and explore a novel strategy for the preventing restenosis after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty. Fifty-six New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 7 groups, namely the solvent control group, model group, natto extract lavage group, refined nattokinse lavage group, intravenous refined nattokinse injection group, clopidogrel group and clopidogrel-aspirin group. Balloon injury was induced by inserting the catheter through the femoral artery into the thoracic aorta of the rabbits. The platelet counts were notad and platelet aggregation was observed, and the abdominal artery was taken for pathological analysis. The expressions of MMP-2 and -9 in the abdominal artery were detected immunohistochemically. There was no significant difference in the platelet counts, platelet aggregation rate or MMP-2 and -9 expression between the model group and the nattokinse-treated groups (P>0.05). The stenosis index in each nattokinse-treated group was significantly greater and the neointimal proliferation index smaller than that of the model group (P<0.01 or 0.05). Nattokinse can inhibit restenosis of rabbit abdominal artery after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty, which is independent of its actions on the platelet or MMP-2 and -9 expressions.

textabstractThe first 840 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) performed in the same institution were retrospectively assessed at an average follow-up period of 25 months after the initial procedure. The study population consisted of 506 patients

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of balloon angioplasty in combination with intraarterial perfusion of vasoactive drugs in the treatment of chronic lower limb ischemia. Methods: A total of 21 patients were treated with percutaneous transfemoral or transaxillary approach of balloon dilatation of the occlusive arterial segments, and then followed by perfusion of urokinase, Lipo prostaglandin E 1 and ginkgo leaf injection, respectively, into the responsible arteries via the catheter. Postoperatively, some of the patients with tibioperoneal arteries occlusion were perfused with the same drugs into their diseased arterial segments, one time per day altogether 5-7 times, through the ipsilateral femoral arterial sheath reserved temporarily, and then followed by observation for improvement of ischemia, superficial ulceration and gangrenous change. Results: Of the 21 patients, 20 were successfully treated with percutaneoustransluminal balloon dilation and arterial perfusion with a technical successful rate of 95.2% (20/21). Five of the total 20 were additionally treated with the same drugs perfusion 5-7 days through the retained sheath, showing well patency. No serious complications occurred and ischemic symptoms of limbs improved, such as rest pain, claudication and dermo temperature. During 2-7 months follow-up, healing of skin ulcer occurred in 4 patients and breakoff of necrotic digits in 2 with the surface wound healed. Necrotic toes in all patients were dehydrated with stopping of necrosis and without any amputation. Conclusions: Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty combining intraarterial drug perfusion is safe and effective for promoting blood circulation with healing of ulceration and ceasing the development of lesions; with furthermore of maintaining the arterial patency through the retained vascular sheath for sustaining the drug plerfusion. (authors)

Purpose: To determine whether percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) and enclosed thrombolysis (ET) is superior to PTA alone in the treatment of femoropopliteal occlusions. Methods: Twenty-five patients with 5-15-cm-long occlusions in the femoropopliteal segments, with otherwise normal run-in arteries and at least one normal tibioperoneal artery to the foot, were randomized to ET/PTA or PTA alone. Ankle brachial systolic index (ABI) was measured before the procedure and at 24 hr and 12 months after the procedure, when a duplex scan was also carried out. End points in the study were patency at, or repeat intervention before, 12 months. Results: Procedures were successful in 23 of 25 patients. There was one immediate occlusion of tibioperoneal arteries, and one early reocclusion of a reopened segment in the ET/PTA group. There was one early reocclusion in the PTA group. At 12 months patency was 70% and 69.2% in the ET/PTA and PTA groups respectively. Covariant analysis showed no significant difference in ABI between the two groups at any of the three measurement times. Conclusion: This trial demonstrated no difference between ET/PTA and PTA alone in femoropopliteal occlusions associated with normal proximal arteries and at least one normal tibioperoneal artery

This report describes a rare vascular complication of surgical placement of a marking clip and a possible approach to problem solving. A 55-year-old patient presented with loss of sensation in the fingers and loss of peripheral pulsations in the right arm 4 days after right upper lobectomy for a pT2N1 moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung. Duplex examination and computed tomography were performed the same day and showed a subtotal stenosis of the right subclavian artery, which was caused by the surgical placement of a metal clip to mark the surgical boundary. Selective angiography was subsequently performed. Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) successfully dilated the stenosis and pushed the clip off. Flow in the right subclavian artery (RSA) was completely restored as were neurology and peripheral pulses. In conclusion, arterial stenosis by a surgical (marking) clip may be feasibly treated with PTA.

The paper reports the results obtained by percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the treatment of renal artery stenosis in 25 patients with secondary hypertension and discusses indications and the technique used. The follow-up period ranged from 0.5 to 12 months. All interventions were performed with the Olbert catheter system. Following PTA a significant decrease in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure was observed in nearly all patients. The response of the plasma renin activity (PRA) to orthostatic stimulation and pharmacological stimulation by furosemide was determined in a subset of 15 patients before and after PTA. A significant decrease in both basal and stimulated PRA values was observed subsequent to PTA. The decrease in PRA values after successful PTA did not, however, correlate with the extent of the blood pressure changes. (Author).

The paper reports the results obtained by percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the treatment of renal artery stenosis in 25 patients with secondary hypertension and discusses indications and the technique used. The follow-up period ranged from 0.5 to 12 months. All interventions were performed with the Olbert catheter system. Following PTA a significant decrease in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure was observed in nearly all patients. The response of the plasma renin activity (PRA) to orthostatic stimulation and pharmacological stimulation by furosemide was determined in a subset of 15 patients before and after PTA. A significant decrease in both basal and stimulated PRA values was observed subsequent to PTA. The decrease in PRA values after successful PTA did not, however, correlate with the extent of the blood pressure changes. (Author)

In 368 consecutive percutaneoustransluminal coronary angiography (PTCA) procedures, acute occlusion of the dilated artery developed within the first hour after the procedure in 24 cases (6.5%). Four patients underwent emergency bypass surgery. In 17 of the remaining 20 patients, repeat balloon dilation was immediately attempted, and was successful in 11 instances (65%). Five of the six cases in which repeat balloon dilation was not successful responded well to surgical or medical therapy. The author conclude that acute occlusions of dilated coronary arteries shortly after PTCA do not automatically necessitate emergency bypass. Approximately two thirds of such cases can be managed by repeat dilation, converting a potential complication into a successful outcome

The purpose of this study is to introduce the experience of 31 patients who had renovascular hypertension and underwent percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty of renal artery (PTA). The subjects were 31 patients with hypertension and stenotic renal artery or arteries on angiography. The criteria of stenosis is more than 50% narrowing of the artery. The technical results were considered to be successful if residual stenosis is less than 50%. The clinical results were classified as cure, improvement and fail. And clinical results were analyzed according to the follow-up duration, short term (≤6 mo) and long term (> 6 mo). Technical success rate was 90.2% (37/41) and clinical success rate were 82.8% (24/29) on short term follow-up and 84.2% (16/19) on long term follow-up. Recurred cases were 7 cases. PTA is a safe and effective therapeutic modality on renovascular hypertension

To evaluate mid-term imaging, clinical follow-up, and restenosis rates from patients that had undergone percutaneoustransluminal renal artery angioplasty (PTRA) for symptomatic renal artery fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). Between March 1999 and July 2006, 16 consecutive renal artery FMD patients underwent PTRA for poorly controlled hypertension. The patients were enrolled into this retrospective study after receiving 19 primary and four secondary PTRAs in 19 renal artery segments. Follow-up monitoring of blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medication, and the serum creatinine level after PTRA were assessed at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months, and each following year. The degree of restenosis was evaluated with computed tomographic angiography (CTA) after PTRA at 6, 12 months, and every year if possible. Technical and clinical success rates for the treatment of FMD, and restenosis rates for the renal artery were evaluated. The technical success rate for primary PTRA was 79% (15/19) and the complication rate was 16% (3/19). Hypertension improved in 80% (12/15) of the patients after four weeks follow-up, and was finally cured or improved in 93% (14/15) during the mean follow-up period of 23.6 months. There was a cumulative 22% (4/18) restenosis rate during the follow-up period. All of the patients were treated with a second PTRA without complications and all of the patients were cured of hypertension after the second PTRA. Percutaneoustransluminal renal artery angioplasty for clinically symptomatic renal FMD is technically and clinically successful and safe to perform. For all patients with restenosis, there was a good response after undergoing a second PTRA

PurposeTo determine the long-term results of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) for a complete membranous obstruction of the suprahepatic inferior vena cava.MethodsPatients (n = 65) who were referred to the interventional unit for PTA for a complete membranous obstruction of the suprahepatic inferior vena cava between January 2006 and October 2014 were included in the study. Thirty-two patients (18 males, 14 females, mean age 35 ± 10.7, range 20–42 years) were treated. The patients presented with symptoms of ascites (88 %), pleural effusion (53 %), varicose veins (94 %), hepatomegaly (97 %), abdominal pain (84 %), and splenomegaly (40 %). Transjugular liver access set and re-entry catheter were used to puncture and traverse the obstruction from the jugular side. PTA balloon dilations were performed. The mean follow-up period was 65.6 ± 24.5 months. The objective was to evaluate technical success, complications, primary patency, and clinical improvement in the symptoms of the patients.ResultsThe technical success rate was 94 %. In two patients, obstruction could not be traversed. These patients underwent cavoatrial graft bypass surgery. There were no procedure-related complications. Clinical improvements were achieved in all patients within 3 months. The primary patency rate at 4 years was 90 %. There was no primary assisted patency. There was no need for metallic stent deployment in the cohort. The secondary patency rate at 4 years was 100 %.ConclusionsPercutaneoustransluminal angioplasty for a complete membranous obstruction of the suprahepatic inferior vena cava is safe and effective, and the long-term results are excellent.

This study was designed to assess an experimental model for the study of mechanisms that underlie restenosis after percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty. The Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit lacks the receptor for low density lipoproteins, produces atherosclerotic lesions

The exposure of radiologists and patients to radiation during coronary angiography and percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in Finland was studied using phantom measurements. Additional tests were made concerning the performance of TV fluoroscopy systems, cine fluorographic units and film processing. These tests include sensitometric quality control of film processing, automatic exposure control in fluoroscopy and cinefluorography, and contrast and resolution in a cine frame and TV image

Study of objective - The aim was to evaluate skin flux and prevalence of low and high frequency flow motion waves in patients with severe ischaemia due to peripheral arterial occlusive disease before and after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) with and without local thrombolysis. Design - Flow motion was recorded by the laser Doppler technique at the dorsum of the foot before, one day, and one month after PTA. The results were separately analysed in patients with successful and unsu...

Purpose. To evaluate the clinical results of percutaneoustransluminal rotational atherectomy in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease. Methods. Rotational atherectomy was performed in 39 patients aged 39-87 years (mean 66.6 years). A total of 71 lesions (43 stenoses and 28 occlusions) were treated in 40 limbs. Additional balloon angioplasty was required in 54% of lesions. Fifteen patients (37.5%) presented in Fontaine stage II, 10 patients (25%) in Fontaine stage III and 15 patients (37.5%) in Fontaine stage IV. Rotational atherectomy at 750 rpm was carried out over a 0.014-inch guidewire with continuous aspiration into a vacuum, bottle. Follow-up angiography and color flow Doppler examinations were performed in 22 patients (23 limbs) after a mean period of 6 months (range 2-14 months). Results. There was one primary technical failure. In 36 of 40 lesions there was a good angiographic result with residual stenoses in less than 30%. In 70 lesions treated by rotational atherectomy, however, 54% showed residual stenoses of 30%-50% and these cases required additional balloon angioplasty. The mean ankle-brachial index improved significantly (p<0.001), from 0.49 before the procedure to 1.01 after the procedure. A single distal embolus, related to primary recanalization, occurred and there were two large inguinal hematomas. Cumulative clinical patency after 6 months was 83.8% and cumulative angiographic patency after 6 months was 79.1%. Conclusion. Percutaneous rotational atherectomy is a promising approach for the treatment of chronic peripheral vascular disease. Further prospective, randomized studies are necessary to compare percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty with this new technical approach

Purpose: To exploit the potential benefits of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients with short obstructive lesions in the lower extremity, it is preferable to select patients suitable for PTA before proceeding to hospital admission and angiography. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the role of color-coded duplex scanning in the correct selection of patients for PTA and its influence on planning the approach to the lesion. Methods: On the basis of clinical history, physical examination, pressure indices, and ultrasound duplex scanning, 109 patients were scheduled for PTA. Results: The indication for PTA was correct in 103 patients (94%), while the procedure was performed successfully in 98 patients (90%). The approach to the lesion was planned successfully in the majority of patients. Conclusion: This study shows that it is justifiable to plan PTA on the basis of information obtained by duplex scanning. Results of the duplex scan may guide the catheterization route

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) on stenosis of autogenous radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula (RCF) for hemodialysis and to determine the factors influencing patency. This retrospective study included 136 patients referred for PTA of RCF stenosis between March 2005 and July 2014. The technical success rate, complications, and patency rate were evaluated. The following factors were analyzed as they might influence patency: age, gender, site and duration of arteriovenous fistula, underlying disease, body mass index, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, peripheral artery or coronary artery occlusive disease, stenosis length/grade, cutting balloon, and balloon size. The initial technical success rate was 91.9% (125/136). Complications included vessel rupture (n = 2) and vessel dissection (n = 2). The patency rates at 6, 12, 24, and 48 months after PTA were 81.9, 67.1, 52.7, and 42.3%, respectively. The patency rate was higher in cases with longer (> 3 cm) stenosis (p = 0.04). Use of cutting balloon and larger size of balloon catheter made the patency longer, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.637, 0.258). PTA is a safe and effective way to manage stenosis in RCF. The length of stenosis was the only factor which affected the patency rate in this study.

We report a 5-year-old boy weighing 11 kg, with severe mitral valve stenosis of rheumatic aetiology, who underwent successful percutaneoustransluminal mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) with valvuloplasty balloon. Postprocedural mean pressure gradient across the mitral valve decreased to 6 mmHg from an initially recorded value of 22 mmHg. In addition to symptomatic improvement, the mitral valvular area increased from 0.4 to 0.8 cm(2) without significant change in mitral regurgitation. At 1- and 3-month follow up, transthoracic echocardiography revealed further improvement with an increase in mitral valve area to 1.0 cm(2), a decrease in pulmonary arterial pressure, and a mean mitral valve pressure gradient of 8 mmHg with trivial mitral regurgitation. To best of our knowledge, this is the first successful PTMC procedure performed in the youngest and smallest ever reported child with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS). We conclude that PTMC with valvuloplasty balloon could be a logical alternative to surgery in young patients with rheumatic MS.

Percutaneoustransluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) improves patency in atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS), but improvement in clinic blood pressure (BP) is seen in only 20-40% of patients who undergo PTRA. This study investigated the effects of PTRA on BP lowering, assessed on 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), and identified preoperative features predictive of satisfactory BP improvement after PTRA. Of 1,753 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography, 31 patients with angiographically significant ARAS and translesional pressure gradient (TLPG) >20 mmHg underwent PTRA. ABPM was performed before, at 1 month and at 1 year after PTRA; patients with average systolic ABPM-BP decrease >10 mmHg at 1 month from baseline were categorized as responders. There was no obvious relationship between clinic BP and ABPM-BP at baseline. ABPM-BP was significantly higher in responders at baseline (SBP: 148 vs. 126 mmHg, PABPM-BP achieved a larger decrease in ABPM-BP, but the severity of stenosis reflected by TLPG; renal duplex findings; and neurohumoral parameters other than baseline renal function, did not differ between the groups. Clinic BP does not represent daily hemodynamic status, whereas high ABPM-BP is a potent predictor of satisfactory BP response to PTRA. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1922-1930).

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty with stenting (PTAS) for the treatment of superior vana cava obstructive syndrome (SVCOS). Methods: 15 cases of SVCOS including 10 cases of lung cancer with mediastinal lymphatic metastasis, 3 cases as malignant lymphoma and 2 cases of esophageal cancer with mediastinal lymphadenopathy, were undergone right subclavian vein or elbow vein catheterization for pressure measurement and DSA imaging of SVC with displaying the obstructive characteristics. A self-expanding stent was then implanted through right femoral vein catheterization. Results: 15 cases were all successfully under-taken angioplasty and stenting, except 1 case with a long stricture over 10 cm requiring 2 stents. After successful stent placement, DSA revealed smooth flow of contrast with almost normal diameter of SVC lumen, together with disappearance or relief of SVCOS. The SVC pressure decreased from 30.5±2.3 cmH 2 O down to 8.8 ± 1.5 cmH 2 O after recanalization, with a significant difference in statistics (P<0.01). All the patients were followed up for 6 months and obstructive symptom did not reappear except one case complicated with thrombosis which was treated by regional thrombolysis and balloon dilation leading to obviously improved symptom. Conclusion: PTAS for the treatment of SVCOS is effective, safe, simple and of less complications. (authors)

The percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is one of the interventional procedures which impart high radiation doses to patients compared to the other cardiologic procedures. This study intends to audit and optimize radiation dose imparted to patients undergoing PTCA. Forty-four patients who underwent PTCA involving single or multiple stent placement guided under cardiovascular X-ray machine were included in the study. Radiation doses were measured using dose area product (DAP) meter for patients undergoing single and multiple stent placements during PTCA. A dose reduction of 27-47% was achieved using copper filters and optimal exposure parameters. The mean DAP values before optimization were 66.16 and 122.68 Gy cm 2 for single and multiple stent placement respectively. These values were 48.67 and 65.44 Gy cm 2 respectively after optimization. In the present scenario, due to the increase in the number of PTCAs performed and the associated risk from radiation, periodical audit of radiation doses for interventional procedures are recommended. (author)

A new circulatory system, "physiologic anteroperfusion system", has been developed and tested in 6 patients with significant proximal coronary artery stenosis. Prolonged and safe balloon inflation was possible without any ischemic signs. The system consists of an electronic cardiac synchroperfusor which, by activating a pulsatile unit, permits increased diastolic anteroperfusion of autologous blood under physiologic pressure through low-profile standard angioplasty catheters. This study reports the results obtained in 6 patients during proximal prolonged percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty. Four men and two women suffering from severe exertional angina pectoris, with normal resting left ventricular function, no collaterals and excellent apical two-dimensional four-chamber echocardiographic views were studied. After a 90 +/- 10 seconds of control occlusion under continuous monitoring of hemodynamics, electrocardiograms (3 to 4 leads), two-dimensional echo and chest pain grading, a second balloon inflation protected by the physiologic anteroperfusion system at a flow rate of 44 +/- 12 ml/min was performed for fifteen minutes. The ischemic signs present in the myocardium depending on the occluded artery were totally abolished during prolonged inflation protected by physiologic anteroperfusion system. All the patients were successfully dilated and were discharged from hospital the following morning without cardiac enzyme elevation or signs of central or peripheral hemolysis. Conclusion, in 6 patients with severe proximal coronary artery stenosis, safe prolonged proximal angioplasty without signs of ischemia was performed using a new simple physiologic anteroperfusion system, which allows active diastolic flow-pressure controlled autologous arterial blood perfusion, through standard low profile catheters.

Background: Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) often caused by atherosclerosis is a major health care issue worldwide. PercutaneousTransluminal Angioplasty (PTA) on the lower limb is a common procedure used to enhance peripheral circulation. With an increasing number of individuals acquiring peripheral PTA treatment and with an increased focus on patient centred care, there is a need to find out more about patients' feelings and thoughts of undergoing PTA. Aim: The aim was to identify patients who are predominantly anxious or calm during and after peripheral PTA and to explore reasons for these feelings. Method: The study includes 51 patients who received PTA treatment in western Sweden. Findings: Seventy-eight percent of the patients rated themselves as calm after the PTA. The analysed interviews resulted in two themes: reasons for feelings of calmness and reasons for feelings of anxiety. Conclusion: In order to feel calm during and after the PTA, information given prior to the PTA needs to be comprehensive and consistent with the actual situation at the angiography suite. The dialogue with the physician and the radiographers was considered valuable, as was the ability to follow the procedure on the image screen. It is concluded that a thorough dialogue with the physician in a calm setting after the PTA is important for the patients' ability to foresee and plan for the future. Moreover, there is a need to find ways to improve analgesic routines regarding assessment and evaluation in connection with PTA treatment as pain is shown to increase anxiety

Ten patients underwent myocardial scintigraphy with 123 I-iodo-heptadecanoic acid (HDA), which was injected in the last minute of maximal exercise testing. Six of the patients were rescanned following percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty. All ten patients underwent full coronary angiography. There were visible perfusion defects on the static images in 74% of the myocardial areas which were supplied by an artery with a stenosis greater than 75%. The mean half life recorded from areas distal to an arterial stenosis of at least 90% (35.69 min±41.25 min), was longer than the expected normal mean (18.85 min±3.35 min). However, the difference was not statistically significant. The static images changed in some patients following angioplasty, however there was no consistent alteration in the half-lives. It was concluded that HDA is a suitable agent for investigating myocardial perfusion, but that the half life cannot be measured adequately for clinical purposes with a planar imaging sytsem. (orig.)

Aim: To evaluate the role of duplex scanning in the selection of patients with infrainguinal arterial occlusive disease for percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA). Material and Methods: From January 1995 through May 2000, 702 patients (952 limbs), with chronic lower extremity ischemia due to infrainguinal atherosclerotic disease diagnosed by duplex scanning, were retrospectively studied. Diagnostic angiography (130 limbs) or infrainguinal PTA (108 limbs) was performed in 238 limbs. Two investigators retrospectively analyzed the duplex examinations and angiographies in a blinded manner and used similar criteria for the interpretation of lesions suitable or not suitable for PTA. Results: The superficial femoral, popliteal and crural artery lesions were correctly selected for PTA in 85%, 66% and 32%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of duplex scanning to appropriately categorize femoropopliteal lesions as suitable or unsuitable for PTA were 89%, 83%, 92%, 94% and 78%, respectively. The accuracy of duplex scanning for predicting the performance of infrainguinal PTA was 83%. Conclusion: Duplex scanning has an important impact on the selection of treatment modalities in limbs with infrainguinal arterial occlusive disease. Femoropopliteal lesions can be reliably selected to PTA according to duplex scan findings

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and effect of recanalization of inferior vena cava with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty(PTA)by Inoue-balloon. Methods: Eighty-nine patients with Budd-chiari syndrome (BCS )were treated with PTA by Inoue-balloon. Results: After PTA, the median (interquartile range)diameter of hepatic segment inferior vena cava increased from 0.00 (0.20-0.00) cm to 1.90 (2.00 1.47)cm; (P < 0.001), and the mean pressure of inferior vena cava reduced from (20.63 ± 7.22) mmHg to (12.13 ± 5.60) mmHg; (P < 0.001); with only less serious complications as rupture in two cases and without need of prior minor diameter balloon dilation in Inoue-balloon PTA. Conclusion: The advantages of Inoue- balloon PTA for BCS are more reliable and facile than those of polyethylene balloon, and may take the place in the foreseen future. (authors)

Objectives: To assess the safety and efficacy of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stent placement for the treatment of iliofemoral arterial atherosclerotic occlusive diseases. Methods From April 1999 to August 2004, 13 cases of iliofemoral arterial occlusions were recanalized with contact thrombolytic therapy combined with guide wire mechanical recanalization method, followed by angioplasty and stent placement. A total of 25 self-expanding Wallstents were deployed. All patients were followed up by means of duplex ultrasound, angiography, or both. Results: All 13 cases were successfully recanalized, with technical successful rate of 100%. Available follow-up for all patients from 8 months-5 years (mean 26.2 months) included one patient undergoing again with successful contact thrombolysis because of early thrombosis; another patient with recurrent symptoms at 19 month after operation undertaking surgical bypass because of later reocclusion; all of the rest stents showing patency by the end of the study. Conclusions: Contact thrombolysis combined with guide wire mechanical recanalization for iliofemoral arterial occlusion is safe and effective, whereas PTA and stent placement would have the nearly same efficacy for the disease with mild injury and low restenosis. (authors)

To compare the rates of central venous stenosis in patients undergoing hemodialysis who underwent disruption of fibrin sheath with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty balloons and those who underwent over-the-wire catheter exchange. This study is a retrospective review of 209 percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty balloon disruption and 1304 over-the-wire catheter exchange procedures performed in 753 patients. Approval from the Human Investigations Committee was obtained for this study. Up to 10-year follow-up was performed. A χ 2 test was used to compare the rates of central venous stenosis after balloon disruption versus catheter exchange. A t-test was used to compare time to central venous stenosis development. Of the 753 patients in the study, 127 patients underwent balloon disruption of fibrin sheath and 626 had catheter exchange. Within the balloon disruption group, 18 (14.2%) of 127 patients subsequently developed central venous stenosis, compared with 44 (7.0%) of 626 in the catheter exchange group (P 2 test). Time to central venous stenosis development was approximately 3 years in both groups and not significantly different (1371 and 1010 days, P = 0.20). A total of 25.2% of patients in the balloon disruption group had four or more subsequent catheter exchanges, versus 12.6% in the catheter exchange group (P 2 test). In conclusions, there is a possible association between percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty balloon disruption of fibrin sheath and late-onset central venous stenosis. Because venography was not routinely performed in catheter exchange patients, future randomized studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

Purpose: To evaluate the angiographic patterns of clinically manifest recurrent disease after infrainguinal percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) of stenoses and total occlusions. Methods: Among 326 infrainguinal PTAs on 263 consecutive patients, selective angiography was performed on 61 limbs of 52 patients 1-60 months after the primary intervention because of clinically suspected recurrent disease. Lesion-specific and patient-related factors were analyzed for 75 angiographically confirmed recurrent lesions in 57 limbs of 48 patients. Results: Recurrent disease was more frequently a stenosis when the original target lesion was a stenosis (92%, 44/48) than when the original lesion was a total occlusion (59%, 16/27; p < 0.001). When the original target lesion was a stenosis, the total length of the recurrent disease was longer than that of the original lesion [3.9 ± 3.9 cm (mean ± standard deviation) vs 2.8 ± 2.7 cm; p= 0.03], while in the subgroup of original total occlusions the length of the recurrent lesion was shorter than that of the original occlusion (7.1 ± 5.0 cm vs 9.9 ± 6.9 cm; p0.02). Half the restenoses (22/44) extended beyond one or both ends of the original stenosis and 38% (6/16) of the reocclusions extended beyond the distal end of the original occlusion. Conclusions: The type of recurrent disease depends on the original lesion type and the restenotic lesion frequently extends beyond one or both ends of the original target lesion

The aim of this prospective study was to determine the value of quantitative exercise thallium-201 scintigraphy for predicting short-term outcome in patients after percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Quantitative exercise thallium-201 scintigraphy was performed 2.2 +/- 1.2 weeks after successful PTCA in 68 asymptomatic patients, 64 (94%) of whom had class III or IV angina before the procedure. Clinical follow-up was obtained in all patients at a mean of 10 +/- 2 months and all were followed for at least 6 months; 45 patients (66%) remained asymptomatic during follow-up and 23 (34%) developed recurrent class III or IV angina at a mean of 2.6 +/- 1.2 months. Multivariate analysis of 22 clinical, angiographic and exercise test variables revealed that thallium-201 redistribution, any thallium scan abnormality, presence of a distal stenosis and treadmill time were the only significant predictors of recurrent angina after PTCA. Using a stepwise discriminant function model, thallium-201 redistribution was the only significant independent predictor. Despite its prognostic value relative to other variables as a predictor, thallium redistribution at 2 weeks after PTCA was only detected in 9 of the 23 patients (39%) who subsequently developed recurrent angina, although only 2 of the 45 patients (9%) who remained asymptomatic during follow-up demonstrated thallium-201 redistribution at the time of early testing. After repeat angiography was performed in 17 of the 23 patients with recurrent angina, 14 (82%) demonstrated restenosis and 3 (18%) had worse narrowing distal to or remote from the site of dilatation

The diagnostic value of exercise electrocardiography using 14 leads and thallium-201 scintigraphy were evaluated in 54 of 70 patients who underwent percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), both in the initial assessment and serial follow-up of patients after PTCA. Of the 45 patients who had successful PTCA, 36 had complete noninvasive studies performed before and 1 month after PTCA. The use of clinical symptoms in conjunction with the physiologic data, ECG and myocardial scintigram acquired during exercise provide important short-term data on the angiographic evolution of PTCA results. The noninvasive tests may be useful in determining guidelines for repeat angiography in patients who have had PTCA

Review the acute and late results of percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in heart transplant recipients and examine the factors predictive of restenosis. Coronary graft disease (CGD) is the main factor responsible for late graft loss. Medical treatment, surgical revascularization, or retransplantation gives only suboptimal results in this regard. Therefore, PTCA has been attempted in this situation. More than 332 heart transplantations in our institution have been performed since 1992, the date of the first PTCA in our patients. We are currently in charge of 450 patients. All the characteristics, procedure-related information, and clinical outcome of patients needing PTCA were assessed by review of each patient's clinical records. All coronary angiograms were reviewed by an independent cardiologist. Since 1992, 53 coronary sites have been dilated in the course of 39 procedures in 29 patients. Indication for PTCA was asymptomatic angiographic coronary graft disease in 35 sites (64.8%), angina in 9 (16.6%), silent ischemia in 2 (3.7%), acute myocardial infarction in 1 (1.8%), and CHF in 7 (12.9%). Primary success ( 50%) was 32.5% (14/43). Mean follow-up was 1.27 year +/- 1.2 (SD). Five deaths (17. 2%) occurred in follow-up and were all in relation to coronary graft disease. Mean time separating PTCA from death was 0.9 year +/- 1.3 (SD). We also sought to look at factors predictive of restenosis. By multivariate analysis, a positive recipient's serology for cytomegalovirus (CMV) before the graft was the only factor found protective against restenosis (odds ratio 22.4; confidence interval 1.1 to 443.4). PTCA in heart transplant recipients allows a high level of primary success with a low periprocedural-complication rate. Restenosis rate seems equivalent to restenosis rate in native coronary arteries. Mortality during follow-up is increased in this population and is the consequence of a high level of coronary events. Recipient positivity for CMV before

Objective: To investigate transcutaneous oximetry as parameter of the microcirculation is correlated to ankle-brachial-index as parameter of the macrocirculation after peripheral angioplasty procedures. Design: Prospective study. Materials and methods: 60 patients suffering from intermittent claudication were scheduled for angioplasty treatment. 45 patients were considered as eligible for angioplasty after angiographic evaluation, 15 patients underwent angiography only. Transcutaneous oximetry measurements were performed before the procedure, at the end of intervention, 24 h as well as 2 and 4 weeks after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty. Ankle-brachial-indices were obtained before intervention, 24 h as well as 2 and 4 weeks later. Results: Ankle-brachial-indices increased significantly at 24 h after angioplasty in patients being treated with angioplasty. Transcutaneous oximetry values dropped significantly at the end of the procedure and returned close to the baseline levels at 2 and 4 weeks after angioplasty. Ankle-brachial-indices and transcutaneous oximetry were positively correlated before (r = 0.3833, p = 0.009) as well as 4 weeks after angioplasty (r = 0.4596, p = 0.001). Immediately after radiological interventions, ankle-brachial-indices and transcutaneous oximetry are not positively correlated. In patients undergoing angiography only, transcutaneous oximetry levels drop significantly immediately after angiography and remain at decreased levels even at 4 weeks after intervention. Conclusion: Transcutaneous oximetry as parameter of the microcirculation is positively correlated with ankle-brachial-index as parameter of the macrocirculation before and at 4 weeks after angioplasty. Intraarterial angiography leads to a sudden decrease in skin microcirculation without affecting macrocirculation. As indicated by a lack of recovery in transcutaneous oximetry levels after 4 weeks, angiography alone results in a prolonged impaired microcirculation which may

BACKGROUND: Clinical outcomes reported after treatment of infrapopliteal lesions with drug-eluting stents (DESs) have been more favorable compared with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty with a bailout bare metal stent (PTA-BMS) through midterm follow-up in patients with critical limb ischemia.

To evaluate predictive factors for false-negative diagnosis of percutaneous forceps biopsies in patients suspected of having a malignant biliary obstruction Two hundred seventy one consecutive patients with obstructive jaundice underwent percutaneous forceps biopsy. In each patient, three to five specimens (mean, 3.5 specimens) were collected from the lesion. The final diagnosis for each patient was confirmed with pathologic findings at surgery, additional histocytologic data, or clinical and radiologic follow-up. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with false-negative diagnosis. One hundred ninety four of 271 biopsies resulted in correct diagnoses of malignancy, while 20 biopsy diagnoses were proved to be true-negative. There were 57 false-negative diagnoses and no false-positive diagnoses. The diagnostic performance of transluminal forceps biopsy in malignant biliary obstructions was as follows: sensitivity, 77.2%; specificity, 100%; and accuracy, 78.9%; positive predictive value, 100%, negative predictive value; 25.9%. Periampullary segment of common bile duct, intrahepatic bile duct and metastatic disease were the significant risk factors of false-negative diagnosis. Percutaneous forceps biopsy provides relatively high accuracy in the diagnosis of malignant biliary obstructions. The predictive factors of false-negative biopsy were determined to be biopsy site and origin of primary tumour. (orig.)

Full text: Objective: To survey and assess radiation dose to patients from coronary angiography (CA) and percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in Beijing Xuanwu Hospital of Capital University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The dose-area product (DAP) values to the patient and cumulative dose (CD) were recorded from 84 coronary angiographies and 51 percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty. A Monte-Carlo based program PCXMC was used to calculate the effective dose from DAP values for each patient. Organ doses were also measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) using a human-shaped phantom to compare the calculated organ dose from DAP. Results: The difference between the organ doses measured by TLDs and those from PCXMC software (P>0.05) were tolerable. The DAP value ranged from 7611∼60538 mGy·cm 2 for CA and 16423∼161973 mGy·cm 2 for PTCA. The effective dose for all procedures was determined to be in the range of 1.1∼6.9 mSv for CA and 2.3∼20.1 mSv for PTCA. CD ranged from 120.0 to 1016.0 mGy for CA and 287 to 2883 mGy for PTCA. Conversion factors between effective dose and DAP were 0.114∼0.139 mSv·Gy - 1·cm -2 for CA and 0.124∼0.142 mSv·Gy -1 ·cm -2 for PTCA; Conversion factors between organ dose and CD were derived for CA and PTCA, respectively. Conclusions: DAP and CD can be used as the dose indicator to calculate the organ dose and effective dose of patient based on Monte Carlo simulation. Using this method can provide important information of patient absorbed dose and enhance the radiation protection of patient in interventional radiology procedures. (author)

PurposeTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided axillary brachial plexus block (ABPB) for analgesia during percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) for dialysis access.Subjects and MethodsTwenty-one patients who underwent PTA for stenotic dialysis access shunts and who had previous experience of PTA without sedation, analgesia, and anesthesia were included. The access type in all patients was native arteriovenous fistulae in the forearm. Two radiologists performed US-guided ABPB for the radial and musculocutaneous nerves before PTA. The patients’ pain scores were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) after PTA, and these were compared with previous sessions without US-guided ABPB. The patient’s motor/sensory paralysis after PTA was also examined.ResultsThe mean time required to achieve US-guided ABPB was 8 min. The success rate of this procedure was 100 %, and there were no significant complications. All 21 patients reported lower VAS with US-guided ABPB as compared to without the block (p

To determine the effectiveness of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty(PTA) of atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery(MCA) stenosis in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA). Ten patients with TIA who had undergone PTA were retrospectively investigated. In all ten, angiography revealed stenosis of the MCA. Mechanical dilatation was performed at the stenotic portion, and the angiographic findings after PTA, as well as peri/post-angioplastic complications, were evaluated. Four to 64 (mean, 23.5) months later, neurologic symptoms and the nature and timing of recurrent attacks were also assessed. The degree of stenosis before PTA was 50-75% in six patients and greater than 75% in four. Complete or partial angiographic recanalization of the stenotic segment occurred in nine patients (90%). During follow-up, seven patients recovered without recurrent TIA or cerebral stroke; one reported a tingling sensation and one experienced vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Motor aphasia developed in one patient after PTA, but after systemic heparinization, improved within 24 hours. One patient who suffered intracranial hemorrhage due to vascular rupture during PTA did three days later. PTA for atherosclerotic MCA stenosis in patients with TIA is an effective therapeutic method.

Purpose. To assess the predictive value of immediate angiographic results after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) for stenoses in femoral bypass grafts using duplex ultrasound (DUS) criteria. Methods. A 1-year follow-up with DUS was performed in 38 patients with 50 stenoses in 41 grafts, treated with PTA for a graft stenosis. The indication for PTA according to DUS criteria was a severe stenosis in 43 lesions, and a moderate stenosis in 7 lesions. In the moderate stenosis group 3 patients showed claudication and 1 patient had a nonhealing ulcer. For the purposes of statistical evaluation, primary patency was considered present if the graft was not occluded. The graft was considered to have failed when it was found to be occluded on DUS, or when secondary interventions (surgery, repeat PTA) were performed. Results. After 1 year the cumulative primary patency rate was 44$ [95% confidence interval (CI) 27.8-59.8]. Stenoses with initially good angiographic results after PTA (<30% residual stenosis) were 2.9 times more likely to be patent at 1 year than stenoses with initially poor or moderate angiographic results (hazard ratio 2.9, 95% CI 1.3-6.4,p=0.007). Conclusion. A poor or moderate angiographic result immediately following PTA was prognostic for poor long-term results and may indicate a requirement for earlier surgical intervention

Our objective was to identify the factors adversely affecting long-term patency after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) for hemodialysis Brescia-Cimino arteriovenous fistulas. Between November 1995 and March 2000, 91 PTA procedures were performed on 50 patients with 57 Brescia-Cimino fistulas. A retrospective study based on the chart review was performed. The initial technical success rate for all procedures and the primary and secondary patency rates for all fistulas were calculated. Regarding fistulas successfully maintained by the primary PTA, the primary and secondary patency rates were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method between two patient groups. They were classified on the basis of several factors, including age (older, over 70 years, and younger group), age of the fistulas (older, over 6 months, and younger group), with or without diabetes mellitus (DM), solitary or multiple lesions, long or short segment lesion, stenosis or occlusion, and with or without arterial and/or anastomotic lesions. Initial technical success rates for all procedures and fistulas were 91.2 and 89.5%, respectively. Cumulative primary and secondary patency rates at 1 year were 47.3 and 67.3%, respectively. In the comparative study, the secondary patency rate for the older group was lower than that of the younger group with statistical significance (p =0.029). The higher age is the only factor that reduces the long-term patency rate after PTA. (orig.)

Due to intimal hyperplasia instent reobstruction in the femoropopliteal arterial segment is still an unsolved problem. Different techniques have been discussed in case of reintervention to guarantee longlasting patency rate. We conducted a randomized, controlled, pilot trial comparing Silverhawk atherectomy with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients with a first instent reobstruction in the femoropopliteal arterial segment, to evaluate intima media thickness (IMT) within the treated segment, as a parameter of recurrence of intimal hyperplasia. In a total 19 patients were included: 9 patients in the atherectomy device and 10 patients in the PTA arm. IMT within the treated segment was statistically significantly elevated in all patients treated with the Silverhawk device versus the patients treated with PTA. The obvious differentiation in elevation of IMT in nonfavor for patients treated with the Silverhawk device started at month 2 (max IMT SH 0.178 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.1 mm, p = 0.001) with a spike at month 5 (max IMT SH 0.206 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.145 mm, p = 0.003) and a decline once again at month 6 (max IMT SH 0.177 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.121 mm, p = 0.02). The values for mean IMT performed the same way. Although Silverhawk atherectomy provides good results at first sight, in the midterm follow-up of treatment of first instent restenosis it did not perform better than PTA as it showed elevated reoccurrence of intimal media hyperplasia.

Due to intimal hyperplasia instent reobstruction in the femoropopliteal arterial segment is still an unsolved problem. Different techniques have been discussed in case of reintervention to guarantee longlasting patency rate. We conducted a randomized, controlled, pilot trial comparing Silverhawk atherectomy with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients with a first instent reobstruction in the femoropopliteal arterial segment, to evaluate intima media thickness (IMT) within the treated segment, as a parameter of recurrence of intimal hyperplasia. In a total 19 patients were included: 9 patients in the atherectomy device and 10 patients in the PTA arm. IMT within the treated segment was statistically significantly elevated in all patients treated with the Silverhawk device versus the patients treated with PTA. The obvious differentiation in elevation of IMT in nonfavor for patients treated with the Silverhawk device started at month 2 (max IMT SH 0.178 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.1 mm, p = 0.001) with a spike at month 5 (max IMT SH 0.206 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.145 mm, p = 0.003) and a decline once again at month 6 (max IMT SH 0.177 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.121 mm, p = 0.02). The values for mean IMT performed the same way. Although Silverhawk atherectomy provides good results at first sight, in the midterm follow-up of treatment of first instent restenosis it did not perform better than PTA as it showed elevated reoccurrence of intimal media hyperplasia.

Full Text Available A 62-year-old woman with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was with recent worsening of dyspnea to New York Heart Association functional status Class III. The patient was diagnosed as having central type chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. By cardiac catheterization, her mean pulmonary artery pressure was 53 mmHg with total pulmonary resistance 2238 dynes·sec·cm−5. After medical therapies with tadalafil, furosemide, ambrisentan, beraprost, and warfarin were initiated, percutaneoustransluminal pulmonary angioplasty (PTPA was performed. Following PTPA, life-threating hypoxemia resulting from postoperative reperfusion pulmonary edema developed. High-flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC was applied, and 100% oxygen at 50 L/min of flow was required to keep oxygenation. HFNC was continued for 3 days, and the patient was discharged on 8th postoperative day with SpO2 of 97% on 3 L/min of oxygen inhalation. Because of the simplicity of the technique, the lower cost of equipment, and remarkable patient tolerance to the treatment, we speculate that HFNC can take over the post of noninvasive ventilation as first-line therapy for patients with acute respiratory failure.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy, safety and long-term results of crural artery percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in limbs with chronic critical limb ischemia (CLI). Methods: Patients undergoing crural artery PTA due to CLI were followed at regular clinic visits with ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) measurements. PTA of the crural arteries was attempted either alone (n= 39) or in combination with PTA of the superficial and/or popliteal artery (n= 55) in 86 limbs (82 patients and 94 procedures) presenting with CLI. The ages of patients ranged from 37 to 94 years (mean 72 years). The indications for PTA were rest pain in 10 and ulcer/gangrene in 84 limbs.Results: A technically successful PTA with at least one crural level was achieved in 88% of cases (n= 83). Cumulative primary clinical success rates at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months were 55%, 51%, 36%, and 36%, respectively. Cumulative secondary clinical success and limb salvage rates at 36 months were 44% and 72%, respectively. Conclusion: PTA of the crural arteries might be considered the primary choice of treatment in patients with CLI and distal lesions with localized stenosis or segmental short occlusions

To determine the effectiveness of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty(PTA) of atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery(MCA) stenosis in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA). Ten patients with TIA who had undergone PTA were retrospectively investigated. In all ten, angiography revealed stenosis of the MCA. Mechanical dilatation was performed at the stenotic portion, and the angiographic findings after PTA, as well as peri/post-angioplastic complications, were evaluated. Four to 64 (mean, 23.5) months later, neurologic symptoms and the nature and timing of recurrent attacks were also assessed. The degree of stenosis before PTA was 50-75% in six patients and greater than 75% in four. Complete or partial angiographic recanalization of the stenotic segment occurred in nine patients (90%). During follow-up, seven patients recovered without recurrent TIA or cerebral stroke; one reported a tingling sensation and one experienced vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Motor aphasia developed in one patient after PTA, but after systemic heparinization, improved within 24 hours. One patient who suffered intracranial hemorrhage due to vascular rupture during PTA did three days later. PTA for atherosclerotic MCA stenosis in patients with TIA is an effective therapeutic method

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and effect of recanalization of hepatic vein with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stent after stent placement in inferior vena cava (IVC). Methods: Eleven patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS)were once performed metal stent placement in IVC at other hospital, but ascites was not subsided in 9 patients after the stent placement and occurred again in 2 patients in 3 months after the procedure. PTA and metal stent placement were used to treat the occlusion of the hepatic vein (HV) via stent in IVC. Results: Recanalization of occlusive HV was successful in all 11 patients, and symptoms disappeared or were obviously improved. The mean blood pressure in HV dropped from pre-operation (45.12 ± 1.57) cm H 2 O (1 cm H 2 O=0.098 kPa) to post-operation (17.53 ± 0.68) cm H 2 O (P<0.01). In a period of 4-30 months (mean: 13.6 months) following-up, no patient reoccurred symptoms. Conclusion: Recanalization of HV via stent in IVC is a feasible and effective method for occlusive HV, but it is difficult. (authors)

Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty(PTA) with a balloon catheter is a standard method of treatment for membranous obstruction of inferior vena cava(MOIVC). But, correct therapeutic approach has not been established for MOIVC patients whose lesion is associated with extensive thrombotic IVC occlusion. We tried to treat MOIVC associated with or without thrombus. We treated 13 cases of MOIVC(associated with thrombus in 7 cases, no thrombus in 6 cases) with PTA, thrombolysis and self-expandable metallic stents. PTA was successful in 8 cases, but failed in 5 cases. The recurred cases were retreated with PTA, but follow-up study revealed recoiling restenosis in 4 cases and intimal hyperplasia in 1 case at previous PTA site which could be overcome with a self-expandable metallic stent. The complication were occurred in 3 cases which were hemothorax, hemopericardium, and hemoperitoneum respectively. However, those were resolved by conservative treatment only. Recanalization and dilatation could be done in MOIVC patients with or without thrombosis for improvement of patient's symptom. Gianturco self-expandable metallic stent is useful in treatment of recurred MOIVC after balloon dilatation and preventing reocclusion of the IVC after PTA.

PurposeTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided axillary brachial plexus block (ABPB) for analgesia during percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) for dialysis access.Subjects and MethodsTwenty-one patients who underwent PTA for stenotic dialysis access shunts and who had previous experience of PTA without sedation, analgesia, and anesthesia were included. The access type in all patients was native arteriovenous fistulae in the forearm. Two radiologists performed US-guided ABPB for the radial and musculocutaneous nerves before PTA. The patients’ pain scores were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) after PTA, and these were compared with previous sessions without US-guided ABPB. The patient’s motor/sensory paralysis after PTA was also examined.ResultsThe mean time required to achieve US-guided ABPB was 8 min. The success rate of this procedure was 100 %, and there were no significant complications. All 21 patients reported lower VAS with US-guided ABPB as compared to without the block (p

Purpose: A prospective study was performed to assess the frequency and timing of complications after transluminal angioplasty and stent placement with a view to changing our practice and performing these procedures on an outpatient basis.Method: A total of 266 angioplasties and 51 stent deployments were attempted on 240 consecutive patients. Immediate complications were documented by the radiologists. The timing and nature of any complications during and beyond the first 24 hr were reported by the vascular surgeons.Results: There were 14 complications in 240 patients, giving a complication rate of 4.8% per vessel segment dilated. There were five major and nine minor complications. Eighty-six percent of complications were evident before the patient had left the angiography suite. All complications were evident within 4.5 hr of the procedure.Conclusion: The timing of complications suggests it would be reasonable to perform percutaneoustransluminal angioplasties and iliac stenting on an outpatient basis in suitable patients

Multilead ST-segment recordings taken during percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) could function as an individualized noninvasive template or "fingerprint," useful in evaluating transient ischemic episodes after leaving the catheterization laboratory. To evaluate the reproducibility of such ST-segment patterns over time, these changes were analyzed in patients grouped according to the time between occlusion and reocclusion. For the patients in group 1, the study required comparing their "fingerprints" in repeat balloon inflation during PTCA (reocclusion in less than 1 hour), for those in group 2, comparing ST "fingerprints" during PTCA with ST changes during spontaneous early myocardial infarction (reocclusion in 24 hours) and in group 3, comparing ST "fingerprints" with ST changes during repeat PTCA for restenosis greater than 1 month after the initial PTCA. The ST "fingerprints" among the 20 patients in group 1 were identical in 14 cases (70%) and clearly related in another 4 (20%). Of the 23 patients in group 2, 12 (52%) had the same and 8 (35%) had related patterns. Of 19 patients in group 3, 8 (42% had the same pattern and 8 (42%) had related patterns. Thus, ST fingerprints were the same or clearly related with reocclusion in the same patient from less than 1 hour to greater than 1 month after initial occlusion in 87% of patients overall, in 90% in less than 1 hour, in 87% in less than 24 hours and in 84% greater than 1 month later. Multilead pattern ST-segment "fingerprints" may serve as a noninvasive marker for detecting site-specific reocclusion.

Due to intimal hyperplasia instent reobstruction in the femoropopliteal arterial segment is still an unsolved problem. Different techniques have been discussed in case of reintervention to guarantee longlasting patency rate. We conducted a randomized, controlled, pilot trial comparing Silverhawk atherectomy with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients with a first instent reobstruction in the femoropopliteal arterial segment, to evaluate intima media thickness (IMT) within the treated segment, as a parameter of recurrence of intimal hyperplasia. In a total 19 patients were included: 9 patients in the atherectomy device and 10 patients in the PTA arm. IMT within the treated segment was statistically significantly elevated in all patients treated with the Silverhawk device versus the patients treated with PTA. The obvious differentiation in elevation of IMT in nonfavor for patients treated with the Silverhawk device started at month 2 (max IMT SH 0.178 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.1 mm, p = 0.001) with a spike at month 5 (max IMT SH 0.206 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.145 mm, p = 0.003) and a decline once again at month 6 (max IMT SH 0.177 mm vs. IMT PTA 0.121 mm, p = 0.02). The values for mean IMT performed the same way. Although Silverhawk atherectomy provides good results at first sight, in the midterm follow-up of treatment of first instent restenosis it did not perform better than PTA as it showed elevated reoccurrence of intimal media hyperplasia.

Full Text Available Jiahui Zhao, Qingli Cheng, Xiaoying Zhang, Meihua Li, Sheng Liu, Xiaodan WangDepartment of Geriatric Nephrology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, ChinaObjectives: Percutaneoustransluminal renal angioplasty with stent implantation (PTRAS has become the treatment of choice for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS. This study evaluates the long-term effects of PTRAS on hypertension and renal function in elderly patients with ARAS.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent PTRAS in the geriatric division of a tertiary medical center during the period 2003–2010. The clinical data were extracted from the medical records of each patient. Changes in blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, and estimated glomerular filtration rate were analyzed before and after PTRAS.Results: Eighty-six stents in 81 elderly patients were placed successfully. The average age of the patients was 76.2 years (65–89 years. Mean follow-up was 31.3 months (range 12 –49 months. There was a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the third day after the PTRAS procedure and the reduction in blood pressure was constant throughout the follow-up period until 36 months after PTRAS. However, there was no marked benefit to renal function outcome during the follow-up period. The incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy was 9.9% in this study group. The rate of renal artery restenosis was 14.8%. The survival rate was 96.3% for 4 years after the procedure.Conclusion: It is beneficial to control blood pressure in elderly patients with ARAS up to 36 months after a PTRAS procedure. However, their renal function improvement is limited.Keywords: angioplasty, hypertension, renal function, elderly, renal artery stenosis

STUDY OF OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate skin flux and prevalence of low and high frequency flow motion waves in patients with severe ischaemia due to peripheral arterial occlusive disease before and after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) with and without local thrombolysis. Flow motion was recorded by the laser Doppler technique at the dorsum of the foot before, one day, and one month after PTA. The results were separately analysed in patients with successful and unsuccessful treatment. 18 patients with rest pain or incipient gangrene were included. Mean pretreatment systolic ankle pressure was 55.8(SD 25.5) mm Hg, and mean transcutaneous PO2 at 43 degrees C was 5.2(9.4) mm Hg. Arteriography revealed relevant stenoses or occlusions of the femoropopliteal and calf arteries. Before treatment two patterns of flow motion with characteristic frequency ranges were observed at the foot dorsum and at a probe temperature of 32 degrees C: low frequency (LF) waves with a mean frequency of 2.2(0.5) cycles.min-1 and a mean amplitude of 0.73(0.42) arbitrary units (AU) and high frequency (HF) waves with a mean frequency of 22.6(4.2) cycles.min-1 and a mean amplitude of 0.39(0.33) AU. PTA was successful in 11 of the 18 patients. After successful treatment, prevalence of HF waves decreased from 10/11 to 4/11 cases (p less than 0.001), but remained nearly unchanged after failed procedure. Prevalence of LF waves before and after PTA did not differ significantly. Our data support the hypothesis that HF waves represent a reaction of skin microcirculation to severe ischaemia. With reference to animal studies it is proposed that HF waves originate from terminal arterioles. They may function as a compensatory mechanism of flow regulation involved in pathophysiology of ischaemia.

Post-marketing surveillance (PMS) may identify rare serious incidents or adverse events due to the long-term use of a medical device, which was not captured in the pre-market process. Percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a non-surgical procedure that uses a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowed artery. In 2011, 1,942 adverse event reports related to the use of PTCA catheters were submitted to the FDA by the manufacturers, an increase from the 883 reported in 2008. The primary research objective is to conduct a systematic review of the published and grey literature published between 2007 and 2012 for the frequency of incidents, adverse events and malfunctions associated with the use of PTCA catheters in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Grey literature has not been commercially published. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PubMed for medical literature on PMS for PTCA catheters in patients with CAD published between January 2007 and July 2012. We also searched the grey literature. This review included 11 studies. The in-hospital adverse events reported were individual cases of myocardial infarction and hematoma. In studies of patients with coronary perforation, more patients with balloon angioplasty were identified compared with patients who required stenting. Our systematic review illustrates that the volume and quality of PMS studies associated with the use of PTCA catheters in patients with CAD are low in the published and grey literature, and may not be useful sources of information for decisions on safety. In most studies, the objectives were not to monitor the long-term safety of the use of PTCA catheters in clinical practice. Future studies can explore the strengths and limitations of PMS databases administered by regulatory authorities.

Full Text Available A 42-year-old male presented to the emergency department with acute chest pain. The electrocardiogram revealed inferior wall myocardial infarction. Emergency coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of the distal right coronary artery with thrombus. Patient was taken up for primary percutaneous coronary angioplasty with stenting of distal right coronary artery. Six hours following the procedure, the patient developed re-elevation of ST-segment in inferior leads of electrocardiogram and subsequent haemodynamic instability. Repeat coronary angiography revealed patent stent and coronary artery spasm in proximal part, which was relieved by intracoronary injection of nitroglycerine. After an hour, the patient re-developed symptoms of chest pain along with bradycardia, hypotension and ST segment elevation. Intravenous infusion of nitroglycerine did not improve the condition but produced persistent hypotension. Infusion of milrinone was then started. Over time, normalisation of electrocardiogram occurred. The patient was discharged in stable condition. This case suggests that milrinone may be effective in alleviating coronary artery spasm when the use of other agents fails

Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has been recently brought into clinical use, however, there has not been reports on the comparison with MRA and conventional contrast coronary angiography (CAG) in the detection of the localization and characteristics of coronary restenosis after percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). To assess the restenosis of coronary artery after PTCA, this study compared three-dimensional (3D) coronary MRA and CAG. One hundred three patients (76 males and 27 females, average age of 64.6±9.3 years old) were performed coronary MRA at 3-6 months after PTCA. The right coronary artery (RCA) group consist of 21 patients, the left anterior descending branch (LAD) 63 patients and the left circumflex branch (LCX) 19 patients. Coronary MRA was performed with the patients in supine position on a 1.5 T whole body scanner (MAGNETOM VISION, Siemens AG, Germany) using body array coil. The imaging technique used a 3-D gradient echo sequence with respiratory gating and fat suppression. The slice thickness was 2 mm, slab thickness 32 mm, a field of view of 300 mm and a matrix of 128 x 256. Other parameters were an echo time of 2.7 ms and a repetition time of 600 to 1100 msec. The measurement time of 1 imaging slab took 15 to 20 minutes depending on the patient's heart rate. The coronary arteries were reconstructed from the 3-D data set using a multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) technique. According to previous coronary MRA studies, a significant stenosis with a luminal reduction of ≥50% was assumed if a marked signal reduction or signal loss of a vessel segment was visible. In CAG, 57 of 103 patients showed restenosis. In coronary MRA, 37 of 103 patients demonstrated restenosis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 64.9%, 100%, 100% and 69.6%, respectively. Predictive accuracy was 79.6%. Three-dimensional coronary MRA is useful in a noninvasive diagnostic method to evaluate the coronary

textabstractBackground: Restenosis after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) may occur in 45% of patients at 2 years follow-up. Paclitaxel-coated balloons have been found to reduce neointimal hyperplasia, and thus reduce restenosis. Recently, the

BACKGROUND: Restenosis after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) may occur in 45% of patients at 2 years follow-up. Paclitaxel-coated balloons have been found to reduce neointimal hyperplasia, and thus reduce restenosis. Recently, the Legflow((R))

To evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of percutaneoustransluminal atherectomy for in-stent restenosis (ISR) in patients with low extremity peripheral arterial diseases (PAD). PubMed, Elsevier, EBSCO, Spring databases and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant articles. Based on the different mechanisms of atherectomy, the patients were divided into mechanic atherectomy group and laser atherectomy group. The safety end points included the rate of distal embolism and severe arterial wall injuries. And the efficacy end points included primary patency rate and freedom from target vessel revascularization (TVR-free) 6 months and 12 months after surgery. A total of 9 studies and 620 patients (published between 2006 and 2014) were accepted. The rate of distal embolism was 4.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.7%-6.7%), while that of severe arterial wall injuries was 1.9% (95%CI: 0.9%-3.0%), respectively. Laser atherectomy was responsible for more distal embolism (6.8%) compared to mechanic atherectomy (2.0%), which was significantly different (Q=21.66, P=0.010). At 6-month follow-up, primary patency rate and rate of TVR-free were 63.0% (95% CI: 55.5%-70.6%) and 80.4% (95% CI: 70.5%-90.3%), while at 12-month follow-up were 43.5% (95%CI: 32.2%-54.9%) and 58.0% (95% CI: 52.1%-63.9%), respectively. The free-TVR rate at 6 months follow-up in mechanical atherectomy group was 77.9%, and was inferior to that in laser atherectomy group (80.8%, Q=13.49, P=0.009). Published bias was discovered at the analysis of 12-month TVR-free rate by means of Begg Test (P=0.039). Meta analysis concerned about the 3 randomized controlled trials demonstrated that there was no significant improvement using atherectomy for ISR comparing to standard balloon at 6-month TVR-free rate (OR=1.34, 95% CI: 0.86-2.07, P=0.196). To treat ISR lesion in lower extremities, laser atherectomy has a lower free-TVR rate in the middle term follow-up.A higher rate of distal embolism is noted though. On

Purpose: To investigate the role of duplex scanning in the selection of patients with critical lower-limb ischemia (CLI) for infrainguinal percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA).Methods: One hundred and sixty-two limbs with CLI (150 patients) that underwent duplex scanning within 3 months prior to conventional diagnostic angiography (n = 88) or infrainguinal PTA (n = 74) were retrospectively studied. The findings obtained from duplex scanning and angiography were analyzed in a masked fashion by two different investigators.Results: The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values of duplex scanning in the selection of patients for infrainguinal PTA were 86%, 84%, 89%, 86%, and 87% respectively. Forty-two procedures (57%) were performed at multiple arterial segments. The accuracy of duplex scanning in the selection of femoropopliteal and crural lesions for PTA was over 85%. However, the sensitivity of duplex scanning in the selection of popliteal and crural lesions for PTA was 49% and 38% respectively, compared with 80% for superior femoral artery lesions. In 39% of patients who were correctly selected for PTA, duplex scanning misdiagnosed one of the multiple lesions treated by PTA.Conclusion: Duplex scanning can safely be used for the selection of patients for infrainguinal PTA. The sensitivity of duplex scanning in the selection of lesions for PTA was less satisfactory in the popliteal and crural arteries compared with the femoropopliteal arteries

Background and PurposeSubclavian artery occlusive disease (SAOD) is often associated with cerebrovascular symptoms such as subclavian steal syndrome and stroke. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stent placement for the treatment of SAOD.Materials and MethodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through October 16, 2014. From each study, we abstracted baseline patient characteristics, study design variables, and outcome data including rates of technical success, primary patency (≤2 and >2 years follow-up), symptom resolution, and complications. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model.ResultsA total of 35 non-comparative studies with 1726 patients were included. Technical success rate was significantly higher in the stent group than the PTA group (92.8 vs 86.8 %, p = 0.007). Long-term primary patency rates (76.9 vs 79.6 %, p = 0.729) and symptom resolution rates (82.2 vs 73.0 %, p = 0.327) were not statistically different. There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of stroke or death.ConclusionStent placement for treatment of SAOD may be associated with higher rates of technical success but similar rates of symptom resolution and long-term outcomes. The confidence in the available estimates is low. Further comparative studies are needed to guide patients and clinicians in shared decision making.

Background and PurposeSubclavian artery occlusive disease (SAOD) is often associated with cerebrovascular symptoms such as subclavian steal syndrome and stroke. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stent placement for the treatment of SAOD.Materials and MethodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through October 16, 2014. From each study, we abstracted baseline patient characteristics, study design variables, and outcome data including rates of technical success, primary patency (≤2 and >2 years follow-up), symptom resolution, and complications. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model.ResultsA total of 35 non-comparative studies with 1726 patients were included. Technical success rate was significantly higher in the stent group than the PTA group (92.8 vs 86.8 %, p = 0.007). Long-term primary patency rates (76.9 vs 79.6 %, p = 0.729) and symptom resolution rates (82.2 vs 73.0 %, p = 0.327) were not statistically different. There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of stroke or death.ConclusionStent placement for treatment of SAOD may be associated with higher rates of technical success but similar rates of symptom resolution and long-term outcomes. The confidence in the available estimates is low. Further comparative studies are needed to guide patients and clinicians in shared decision making.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the potential association of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) between primary patency of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula stenosis and type (Conventional and Drug-Eluting) of balloons used in PTA.Material-MethodThis retrospective study consists of 78 patients with significant arteriovenous fistulas stenosis who were treated with PTA by using Drug-Eluting Balloon (DEB) (n = 29) or Conventional Balloon (CB) (n = 49). NLR was calculated from preinterventional blood samples. All patients were classified into two groups. Group A; primary patency <12 months (43/78), Group B; primary patency ≥12 months (35/78). Cox regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier method were used to determine respectively independent factors affecting the primary patency and to compare the primary patency for the two balloon types.ResultsNLR ratio and balloon type of the two groups were significantly different (p = 0.002, p = 0.010). The cut-off value of NLR was 3.18 for determination of primary patency, with sensitivity of 81.4 % and specificity of 51.4 %. Primary patency rates between PTA with DEB and CB displayed statistically significant differences (p

Full Text Available Background: We tested the hypothesis that increased levels of cathepsin S and decreased levels of cystatin C in plasma at the time of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA are associated with the occurrence of 6-months’ restenosis of the femoropopliteal artery (FPA. Methods: 20 patients with restenosis and 24 matched patients with patent FPA after a 6-months follow-up were in - cluded in this study. They all exhibited disabling claudication or critical limb ischemia and had undergone technically successful PTA. They were all receiving statins and ACE in hi - bitors (or angiotensin II receptor antagonist before the PTA and the therapy did not change throughout the observational period. Plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein were < 10 mg/L and of creatinine within the reference range at the time of the PTA. Plasma concentration and activity of cathepsin S, together with its potent inhibitor cystatin C, were measured the day before and the day after the PTA. Results: The increased plasma concentration and activity of cathepsin S at the time of PTA was associated with the occurrence of 6-months’ restenosis of FPA, independently of established risk factors (lesion complexity, infrapopliteal run-off vessels, type of PTA, age, gender, smoking, diabetes, lipids and of cystatin C. Plasma cystatin C concentration was not associated with restenosis and did not correlate with cathepsin S activity and concentration in the plasma. Conclusion: Increased level of plasma cathepsin S at the time of PTA is associated with 6-months’ restenosis of PTA, independently of established risk factors.

We are managing 8 home care patients who have a gastrostomy made using an endoscopic percutaneous technique as a route of parenteral alimentation. Based on our experience, the preconditions for an endoscopic percutaneous gastrostomy as a route of parenteral alimentation are 1. normal gastrointestinal function, 2. difficulty in swallowing, 3. possibility that the caregiver can manage the gastrostomy. When we performed an endoscopic percutaneous gastrostomy as a route of parenteral alimentation for 8 home care patients, we obtained the several advantages mentioned below. 1. Swallowing pneumonia was prevented. 2. Adequate amount of alimental liquid could be infused. 3. Patient could take a bath or shower with the gastrostomy, and good QOL was realized. 4. The home care patient with the gastrostomy could have a satisfactorily long life.

This thesis describes and discusses the results of a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial comparing percutaneous coronary angioplasty with stenting (stenting) and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting with a left internal mammary artery (surgery) in patients with a high-grade stenosis

Percutaneous aortic valve replacement is a new technology for the treatment of patients with significant aortic valve stenosis. We present the first report on a human implantation of a self-expanding aortic valve prosthesis, which is composed of three bovine pericardial leaflets inserted within a self-expanding nitinol stent. The 73-year-old woman presented with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis (mean transvalvular gradient of 45 mmHg; valve area of 0.7 cm2). Surgical valve replacement had been declined for the patient because of comorbidities, including previous bypass surgery. A retrograde approach via the common iliac artery was used for valve deployment. The contralateral femoral vessels were used for a temporary extracorporal circulation, unloading the left ventricle during the actual stent expansion. Clinical, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic outcomes were assessed serially during the procedure. Clinical and echocardiographic follow-up at day 1, 2, and 14 post procedure was performed to evaluate the short-term outcome. The prosthesis was successfully deployed within the native aortic valve, with accurate and stable positioning and with no impairment of the coronary artery or vein graft blood flow. 2D and doppler echo immediately after device deployment showed a significant reduction in transaortic mean pressure gradient (from 45 to 8 mmHg) without evidence of aortic or mitral valve insufficiency. The clinical status has then significantly improved. These results remained unchanged up to the day 14 follow-up. This case report demonstrates a successful percutaneous implantation of a self-expanding aortic valve prosthesis with remarkable functional and clinical improvements in the acute and short-term outcome. Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PurposeAlthough platelet reactivity is routinely inhibited with aspirin after percutaneous angioplasty (PTA) in peripheral arteries, the restenosis rate in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) is high. Interaction of activated platelets and the endothelium in the region of intervention could be one reason for this as collagen in the subendothelium activates platelets.Materials and MethodsA prospective study evaluating on-site platelet reactivity during PTA and its influence on the development of restenosis with a total of 30 patients scheduled for PTA of the SFA. Arterial blood was taken from the PTA site after SFA; platelet function was evaluated with light transmission aggregometry. After 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, duplex sonography was performed and the restenosis rate evaluated.ResultsEight out of 30 patients developed a hemodynamically relevant restenosis (>50 % lumen narrowing) in the PTA region during the 24-month follow-up period. High residual collagen-induced platelet reactivity defined as AUC >30 was a significant predictor for the development of restenosis [adjusted odds ratio 11.8 (9.4, 14.2); P = .04].ConclusionsHigh residual collagen-induced platelet reactivity at the interventional site predicts development of restenosis after PTA of the SFA. Platelet function testing may be useful for identifying patients at risk.

: with improved control of blood pressure; group III: unchanged blood pressure control. Grouping was performed immediately after treatment, at 1 month, 6 months and at the latest follow-up. One hundred-and-twenty-two patients (124 atherosclerotic and 12 fibromuscular lesions) were treated during 13 years......OBJECTIVE: The study is a follow-up on treatment of renovascular hypertension (RVH) with percutaneoustransluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA). METHODS: Patients were screened on the basis of clinical criteria of increased probability of RVH with renography and in selected cases with renal vein renin...

Purpose: The aim of the Vienna-2-trial was to compare the restenosis rate of femoropopliteal arteries after percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) with or without intraarterial high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy (BT) using an 192 Ir source. Materials and Methods: A prospective, randomized trial was conducted from 11/96 to 8/98. A total of 113 patients (63 men, 50 women), with a mean age of 71 years (range, 43-89 years) were included. Inclusion criteria were (1) claudication or critical limb ischemia, (2) de-novo stenosis of 5 cm or more, (3) restenosis after former PTA of any length, and (4) no stent implantation. Patients were randomized after successful PTA for BT vs. no further treatment. A well-balanced patient distribution was achieved for the criteria used for stratification, as there were 'de-novo stenosis vs. restenosis after former PTA', 'stenosis vs. occlusion', 'claudication vs. critical limb ischemia' and above these for 'diabetes vs. nondiabetes'. PTA length was not well balanced between the treatment arms: a PTA length of 4-10 cm was seen in 19 patients in the PTA alone group and in 11 patients in the PTA+BT group, whereas a PTA length of greater than10 cm was seen in 35 patients and 42 patients, respectively. A dose of 12 Gy was prescribed in 3-mm distance from the source axis. According to AAPM recommendations, the dose was 6.8 Gy in 5-mm distance (vessel radius + 2 mm). Primary endpoint of the study was femoropopliteal patency after 6 months. Results: PTA and additional BT were feasible and well tolerated by all 57 pts in this treatment arm. No acute, subacute, and late adverse side effects related to BT were seen after a mean follow up of 12 months (6-24 months) in 107 patients (PTA n = 54; PTA+ BT n = 53). Crude restenosis rate at 6 months was in the PTA arm 54% vs. 28% in the PTA + BT arm (χ 2 test; p 10 cm) showed significant decrease of the restenosis rate, if BT was added. Significant reduction was not achieved in diabetes patients

Sixteen cases are reported of dilatation of supra-aortic vessels; in 14/16 patients the vessel involved was either the subclavian artery or the brachio-cephalich trunk. Special attention is paid to the choice of patients - the ideal one presenting with a single uncalcified lesion, with stenosis more than 50% of diameter; the symptoms have recently appeared, with a significant difference (more than 20 mmHg) in the pressure of the two arms. The technical aspects of the angioplastic procedure are discussed, especially in order to preserve the intracriminal circulation and to limit possible complications. The presence of reversed blood flow in the vertebral artery is extremely important to preserve intracranial circulation from possible embolism; normal flow obtained at the end of the procedure is therefore an useful proof of successful dilatation. The advantages are stressed of dilatation over the surgical technique used in the past. Finally, the importance is emphasized of a correct follow-up and doppler control of supra-aortic circulation

Twenty seven patients with femoral artery occlusion were treated by transluminal Nd:YAG laser angioplasty, in 16 patients the procedure was combined with intraarterial infusion of rTPA (actilyse-Boehringer Ing). In 5 out of 11 patients from the initial group recanalization was not successful. In 16 patients from the rTPA group satisfactory immediate results were achieved in all cases. In long time observations ranging from 9 to 24 months all patients remained free from symptoms, although in 4 of them angiography and Doppler ultrasound examination reveal no flow in the femoral artery. In the remaining 12 patients (75%), the previously occluded artery is patent. No complications of laser angioplasty nor intraarterial infusion of rTPA were noted in this series.

In dogs and 11 patients a new endoscopic method for arteries has been developed. The approach is transfemoral, and endoscopy is combined with angiography, percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA), and local lysis. An ultrathin endoscope with a diameter of 2.4 mm is used, which also provides a working channel with a diameter of 0.4 mm. Guide wires, contrast media, and drugs for local lysis can be inserted through this channel. Under fluoroscopic control, the endoscope is placed in the region of interest, followed by a special method for decreasing blood flow. Endoscopy is documented by video or by a high-speed camera. No complications have occurred. In all patients, it was possible to demonstrate the results of dilatation, recanalization, or local lysis before and after the interventional procedure. (orig.) [de

Medical countermeasures to prevent or mitigate the effects of nerve agent poisoning are part of the UK MoD's integrated approach to CBRN defence. Protexia is currently in advanced development as a pretreatment for nerve agent poisoning by PharmAthene in collaboration with US DoD. The principle of its use in this context has been demonstrated in a model of inhalation exposure. Nerve agent poisoning by the percutaneousroute poses additional challenges for medical countermeasures. The present study investigates the effects of non-pegylated rBuChE administered following poisoning by VX in an animal model of percutaneous exposure. This investigation is part of an ongoing programme of work assessing the potential of candidate medical interventions. Male guinea pigs implanted with dermal and blood microdialysis probes were maintained under anaesthesia. VX (296 micro g/kg or 740 micro g/kg) was applied to the dorsal skin and non-pegylated rBuChE or placebo was administered (i.v.) 30 minutes later. Dialysate fractions were collected for 8 hours and VX was analysed by LC-MS-MS. Cholinesterase levels were measured in selected tissues post mortem. Following VX (296 micro g/kg), non-pegylated rBuChE significantly reduced the concentration of VX in the blood but had no effect on dermal concentrations; additionally following VX (740 micro g/kg), non-pegylated rBuChE prevented lethality. Tissue cholinesterase activity was inhibited following VX exposure but in those animals treated with rhBuChE, activities were similar to control values. To our knowledge these results provide the first evidence of the mechanism of therapeutic intervention with rBuChE. Further work is necessary to increase confidence in these preliminary observations by conducting confirmatory studies. Crown Copyright 2008. This work was carried out as part of the UK MoD NBC Research Programme. Non-pegylated rBuChE was supplied by PharmAthene under a materials transfer and non-disclosure agreement. (author)

Aim Leukocytes have been implicated in restenosis following percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty. We investigated the link between the activated status of circulating neutrophils and restenosis after angioplasty. Methods and Results The population of 108 patients with single, de novo

Full Text Available The objective was to report a case of a 63-year-old man with a history of low back pain (LBP and left leg pain for 2 years, and the symptom became more serious in the past 5 months. The patient was diagnosed with lumbar scoliosis combined with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS and lumbar disc herniation (LDH at the level of L4-5 that was confirmed using Computerized Topography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The surgical team preformed a novel technique, “U” route transforaminal percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD, which led to substantial, long-term success in reduction of pain intensity and disability. After removing the osteophyte mass posterior to the thecal sac at L4-5, the working channel direction was changed to the gap between posterior longitudinal ligament and thecal sac, and we also removed the herniation and osteophyte at L3-4 with “U” route PELD. The patient’s symptoms were improved immediately after the surgical intervention; low back pain intensity decreased from preoperative 9 to postoperative 2 on a visual analog scale (VAS recorded at 1 month postoperatively. The success of the intervention suggests that “U” route PELD may be a feasible alternative to treat lumbar scoliosis with LSS and LDH patients.

In this thesis several aspects of passive and active coronary perfusion during coronary angioplasty are investigated. The autoperfusion balloon catheters that were evaluated are the Stack® and the RX-60® catheters (Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, inc., Santa Clara, California, U.S.A). The coronary

Between August 1980 and June 1982, 12 left-sided proximal subclavian stenoses were dilated with balloon catheters. The dilatation was successful in all patients. Differences in blood pressure in the arm could be demonstrated subsequently. Recurrences occurred in two patients after seven and eleven months. Follow-up of nine patients up to 24 months showed them to be symptom-free. (orig.)

Authors want to report that PTA was an out-standing therapeutic method in treatment of renovascular hypertension by renal artery stenosis due to Takayasu's arteritis in an 18-years-old Korean female. Abdominal aortogram and bilateral renal arteriogram showed mild smooth narrowing of the mid abdominal aorta of 4cm length from origin of renal arteries, complete occlusion of left renal artery from it's origin with a few small collateral arteries and severe stenosis of proximal right renal artery. PTA of right renal artery was performed with Gruntzig Balloon dilatation catheter, and the patient's blood pressure was down to 120/80 from 220/130, stable for 8 months follow-up examination. Takayasu's arteritis is one of the most important cause of renovascular hypertension in Orientals. Multiple treatment modalities, such as steroid administration or variable surgical intervention, were attempted and limited response was presented. But PTA is a simple, cost-effective, repeated, and relatively complication-free method in treatment of renovascular hypertension due to Takayasu's arteritis, with an outstanding result, as authors case

Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC), a technique that consists of percutaneous catheter placement in the gallbladder lumen under imaging guidance, has become an alternative to surgical cholecystostomy in recent years. Indications of PC include calculous or acalculous cholecystitis, cholangitis, biliary obstruction and opacification of biliary ducts. It also provides a potential route for stone dissolution therapy and stone extraction. Under aseptic conditions and ultrasound guidance, using local anesthesia, the procedure is carried out by using either modified Seldinger technique or trocar technique. Transhepatic or transperitoneal puncture can be performed as an access route. Several days after the procedure transcatheter cholangiography is performed to assess the patency of cystic duct, presence of gallstones and catheter position. The tract is considered mature in the absence of leakage to the peritoneal cavity, subhepatic, subcapsular, or subdiaphragmatic spaces. Response rates to PC in the literature are between the range of 56-100% as the variation of different patient population. Complications associated with PC usually occur immediately or within days and include haemorrhage, vagal reactions, sepsis, bile peritonitis, pneumothorax, perforation of the intestinal loop, secondary infection or colonisation of the gallbladder and catheter dislodgment. Late complications have been reported as catheter dislodgment and recurrent cholecystitis. PC under ultrasonographic guidance is a cost-effective, easy to perform and reliable procedure with low complication and high success rates for critically ill patients with acute cholecystitis. It is generally followed by elective cholecystectomy, if possible. However, it may be definitive treatment, especially in acalculous cholecystitis

Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC), a technique that consists of percutaneous catheter placement in the gallbladder lumen under imaging guidance, has become an alternative to surgical cholecystostomy in recent years. Indications of PC include calculous or acalculous cholecystitis, cholangitis, biliary obstruction and opacification of biliary ducts. It also provides a potential route for stone dissolution therapy and stone extraction. Under aseptic conditions and ultrasound guidance, using local anesthesia, the procedure is carried out by using either modified Seldinger technique or trocar technique. Transhepatic or transperitoneal puncture can be performed as an access route. Several days after the procedure transcatheter cholangiography is performed to assess the patency of cystic duct, presence of gallstones and catheter position. The tract is considered mature in the absence of leakage to the peritoneal cavity, subhepatic, subcapsular, or subdiaphragmatic spaces. Response rates to PC in the literature are between the range of 56-100% as the variation of different patient population. Complications associated with PC usually occur immediately or within days and include haemorrhage, vagal reactions, sepsis, bile peritonitis, pneumothorax, perforation of the intestinal loop, secondary infection or colonisation of the gallbladder and catheter dislodgment. Late complications have been reported as catheter dislodgment and recurrent cholecystitis. PC under ultrasonographic guidance is a cost-effective, easy to perform and reliable procedure with low complication and high success rates for critically ill patients with acute cholecystitis. It is generally followed by elective cholecystectomy, if possible. However, it may be definitive treatment, especially in acalculous cholecystitis.

The development of minimally invasive techniques allowed access to the necrotic cavity through transperitoneal, retroperitoneal, transmural and transpapillary routes. The choice of access to walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN) should depend not only on the spread of necrosis, but also on the experience of the clinical center. Herein we describe treatment of a patient with multilocular symptomatic walled-off pancreatic necrosis using minimally invasive techniques. The single transmural access (single transluminal gateway technique - SGT) to the necrotic collection of the patient was ineffective. The second gastrocystostomy was performed using the same minimally invasive technique as an extra way of access to the necrosis (multiple transluminal gateway technique - MTGT). In the described case the performance of the new technique consisting in endoscopic multiplexing transmural access (MTGT) was effective enough and led to complete recovery of the patient.

The objective was to investigate whether transgastric Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) could be implemented safely in clinical practice. The experimental studies proved ultrasonography guided access through the stomach to be feasible and safe without iatrogenic complications......-abdominal abscess formation as a result of contamination from the access route was still present. To reduce this contamination, mouthwash with chlorhexidine was effective in a human randomised study. The same study also found significant higher bacterial load in the stomach of patients using proton pump inhibitor...

Recently, the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy is developing rapidly. Once limited to the gastroinstestinal lumen, the endoscopic technology is now breaking the barriers and extending its boundary to peritoneal and pleural space. In 2004, Dr. Kalloo, a gastroenterologist, observed intraperitoneal organs of a pig using a conventional endoscope through the stomach wall. Since then, new endoscopic technique of intraperitoneal intervention with transluminal approach named the Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery or NOTES has been introduced. NOTES reaches the target organ by inserting the endoscope through a natural orifice (e.g. mouth, anus, vagina, urethra) and entering the peritoneal lumen by means of making an incision on the luminal wall. After a series of successful experiences in animal studies, NOTES are now being tried on human subjects. There are still many obstacles to overcome, but bright future for this new technology is expected because of its proposed advantages of less pain, lower complication rate, short recovery time, and scarless access. In this review, we plan to learn about NOTES.

Full Text Available Introduction. Abdominal angina, also known as chronic mesenteric ischemia or intestinal angina, is a rare disease caused by intestinal flow reduction due to stenosis or occlusion of mesenteric arteries. A case of successful treatment of a patient with abdominal angina by percutaneous transuliminal angioplasty of high-grade superior mesenteric artery and coeliac trunk stenosis was presented. Case Outline. A 77-year-old male patient was admitted at our Clinic for severe postprandial abdominal pains followed by frequent diarrhoeas. Extensive gastrointestinal investigations were performed and all results were normal. Multislice computerized (MSCT arteriography was indicated which revealed ostial celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery subocclusion. Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty of the superior mesenteric artery and coeliac trunk was done with two stents implantation. Just a few hours following the intervention, after food ingestion, there were no abdominal pains. Six months later, the patient described a significant feeling of relief after food ingestion and no arduousness at all. Conclusion. High-grade visceral arteries stenoses in patients with intestinal ischemia symptoms can be treated by either surgical procedures or percutaneus transluminal angioplasty. In cases when a low operative risk is anticipated, surgical treatment is recommended due to a better anatomical outcome, while percutaneus angioplasty is advised to elderly patients in whom increased operative risks can be expected.

A potentially less-invasive technique, transluminal surgery, may reduce or eliminate pain and decrease time to full return of activities after abdominal operations. Inguinal hernia repair is perfectly suited to the transgastric endoscopic approach and has not been previously reported. Our purpose was to evaluate the feasibility of transgastric bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy (BIH). Feasibility study with a nonsurvival canine model. Under general anesthesia, male mongrel dogs weighing 20 to 30 kg had a dual-channel endoscope introduced into the peritoneal cavity over a percutaneously placed guidewire. An overtube with an insufflation channel was used. Peritoneoscopy was performed, and bilateral deep and superficial inguinal rings were identified. The endoscope was removed, premounted with a 4 x 6 cm acellular human dermal implant and then readvanced intraperitoneally through the overtube. The implant was then deployed across the entire myopectineal orifice and draped over the cord structures. Bioglue was then applied endoscopically, and the implant was attached to the peritoneum. After completion of bilateral repairs, the animals were killed and necropsy performed. Five dogs underwent pure natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) BIH. Accurate placement and adequate myopectineal coverage was accomplished in all subjects. At necropsy no injuries to the major structures were noted but Bioglue misapplication with contamination of unintended sites did occur. Our study involved only a small number of subjects in nonsurvival experiments, and no gastric closure was used. Many of the characteristics of inguinal hernia repair are especially well suited to the transgastric approach. The repair is in line with the transgastric endoscope vector, bilateral defects are adjacent, and the IPOM technique does not require significant manipulation or novel instrumentation.

Objective: To probe the therapeutic effects, indications and safety of the percutaneous lumbar discectomy (PLDP). Methods: To ameliorate percutaneous punctured route based on classic PLD and modified jaw structure of pulpiform nacleus forceps, with statistic analysis of the therapeutic results of 352 cases of patient undergone PLDP and follow up ranging from 6 to 38 months retrospectively. Results: The effective ratios were excellent in 45.5%, good for 45.4% and bad in 9.1%. 44 of 352 cases with pulps prolapse were cured. No intervertebral inflammation and paradisc hematoma took place. One case complicated with cauda equina injury and 4 cases with appliances broken inside the disc. Conclusions: PLDP is effective and safe, not only adaptive to the contained disc herniation, but also for noncontained herniation. (authors)

Objective: To ameliorate the percutaneous lumbar discectomy (APLD) for improving the effectiveness and amplifying the indicative range of PLD. Methods: To ameliorate percutaneous punctured route based on classic PLD and discectomy of extracting pulp out of the herniated disc with special pulpforceps. The statistical analysis of the therapeutic results on 750 disc protrusions of 655 cases undergone APLD following up from 6 to 54 months retrospectively. Results: The effective ratios were excellent in 40.2%, good for 46.6% and bad of 13.3%. No occurrance of intervertebral inflammation and paradiscal hematoma, there were only 1 case complicated with injuried cauda equina, and 4 cases with broken appliance within disc. Conclusions: APLD is effective and safe, not only indicative for inclusion disc herniation, but also for noninclusion herniation. (authors)

-randomised and retrospective studies or studies with short follow-up. No definite conclusion can be made based on these studies.In this review we present the current knowledge published about the intracoronary administration of Abciximab including the mechanisms behind the potential beneficial effects, and the safety...... and thrombus formation, but other mechanisms, such as suppression of the inflammatory pathways, have also been proposed to contribute to the benefits of Abciximab.The optimal route of administration, i.e. intravenous versus intracoronary, of the first dose has been questioned, but only tested in small, non...

The present study aimed to report the technical feasibility of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) of obstructed or insufficient collateral branches (anterior and posterior perforating branches) from distal peroneal to foot arteries in diabetic patients with chronic critical limb ischemia (CLI) and chronic noncrossable occlusion of the anterior and posterior tibial arteries. Twenty-four diabetic CLI patients (age, 67 ± 8 years; 87% males) undergoing collateral PTA were included. Baseline clinical angiographic and follow-up data were retrospectively reviewed. Collateral PTA was associated with a concomitant PTA of other sites in 21 (83%) cases. In 15 cases the treated collateral linked the peroneal with the plantaris communis; in 9 cases, the peroneal with the dorsalis pedis. Angiographic results of collateral PTA were good in 13 cases (<30% residual stenosis), whereas the result was considered moderate (30%-49% residual stenosis) in the remaining cases. Neither perforation nor acute occlusion of the treated collaterals or other relevant complications were observed. Mean follow-up was 32 ± 17 months. Major amputation was necessary for two (8.3%) patients. Cumulative limb salvage rates at 2 and 4 years were 96% and 87%, respectively. In conclusion, this initial experience shows that PTA of the collateral branches from distal peroneal to foot arteries is a feasible technique. Future studies are required to define the clinical role of this novel approach

The purpose of this study was to evaluate left ventricular function and perfusion at rest before and after percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty. In consecutive 69 patients in whom coronary stenoses were dilated, the radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction at rest increased significantly. In 26 of these patients, the ejection fraction increased by at least 4%. In these patients, exercise-induced ischemic ST depression had been more pronounced than in the others. 36 other patients underwent 201 Tl myocardial scintigraphy before and after angioplasty. Twelve patients in whom pre-PTCA images had revealed regions with irreversible 201 Tl uptake defects, showed normal 201 Tl distribution patterns on post-PTCA scintigrams. Post-exercise 201 Tl uptake (representing myocardial perfusion and metabolic activity) during pre-PTCA exercise stress tests was significantly lower in these cases. It is concluded that PTCA can improve left ventricular function and perfusion at rest. This improvement is most obvious in patients with pronounced exercise-induced myocardial ischemia as diagnosed by typical ST segment depression and reduced thallium uptake. (orig.) [de

Objective: To compare the sensitivity between forceps biopsy and brushing, and to explore a feasible approach to pathological diagnosis of the obstructive jaundice. Methods: 92 consecutive patients with obstructive jaundice underwent transluminal forceps biopsy and brushing during percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage. The technique was performed through a preexisting percutaneous transhepatic tract with multiple specimens obtained after passing the forceps biopsy or brush into a 8-French sheath. Finally the specimens were fixed with formalin for pathologic or cytologic diagnosis. Results: The histopathologic diagnosis was acquired in 81 out of 92 patients with forceps biopsy reaching the successful rate of 97.83%. Sensitivity of forceps biopsy in 92 patients was higher than that of brush in 84 patients (88.04% vs 76.19% χ 2 =4.251, P= <0.05). Conclusions: Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiobiopsy is a simple technique with minimal invasion, high sensitivity and worthy to be used spread extensively. Percutaneoustransluminal brush cytology is also an useful method for establishing a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. (authors)

To determine the effectiveness and patency of percutaneous intervention in insufficient native arteriovenous hemodialysis fistulae (AVFs). Between March 1997 and September 2001, 67 cases of insufficient native AVFs resulted from central vein lesion, PTA was performed in 48 cases, and thrombolytic therapy with or without PTA in 11. In eight of the cases, in which central vein stenosis had led to the insufficency, percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) was performed, and in three of the eight, a stent was inserted. Angiography findings and complications, as well as success and patency rates in the non-thrombosis and thrombosis group, were evaluated; the central vein lesion group was analysed separately. Among 84 lesions observed at angiography, three were 54 cases of stenosis, 17 of occlusion, and 13 of combined thrombosis. The lesions were located in a proximal vein (n=51), distal vein (n=14), artery (n=6), and at the site of anastomosis (n=13). In the central vein lesion group (n=8), seven cases of stenosis and one of occlusion were noted. The overall procedural success rate was 79.1% (53/67). That is, in patients with no central vein lesion, the procedural success rate of PTA of native AVFs was 85.4% (41/48) and the patency rates of this were 83.1% at 6 months and 67.4% at 12 months. In cases of thrombolysis with/without PTA, the procedural success rate was 54.5% (6/11) and the patency rates were 83.3% at 6 months and 62.5% at 12 months. Finally, in patients with a central vein lesion, the procedural success rate was 75% (6/8) and the patency rates were 80% at 6 months and 30% at 12 months. There was one case of pseudoaneurysm formation at the puncture site of the brachial artery, which was used as the access route for intervention; one embolism in the brachial artery; and three cases of vascular spasm and two of hematoma which did not require active treatment. Percutaneous intervention offers effective and safe management of insufficient AVFs. The procedural

Percutaneous nephrostomy was performed in 82 patients under the fluoroscopic guidance for recent 3 years. The cause of hydronephrosis were as follows: unknown origin of stricture (N=37), stone (N=20), tumor (N=14), tuberculosis (N=8), postoperative ureteral injury (N=1), postoperative anastomotic stricture(N=1)and renal transplantation complication (N=1). Successful nephrostomy was achieved in 79 patients (96%). Causes if failure were minimal dilatation of pelvocaliceal system (N=2) and staghorn calculi (N=1). Follow up laboratory test shows high BUN and creatinine level returned to normal limit within 1 or 3 weeks in 73 patient. Major complication was not found, but temporary hematuria (N=4) or fever (N=1) was noted. In conclusion, percutaneous nephrostomy is the safe and effective method for the temporary and permanent relief of urinary obstruction and maintenance of ureteral patency.

Percutaneous nephrostomy was performed in 82 patients under the fluoroscopic guidance for recent 3 years. The cause of hydronephrosis were as follows: unknown origin of stricture (N=37), stone (N=20), tumor (N=14), tuberculosis (N=8), postoperative ureteral injury (N=1), postoperative anastomotic stricture(N=1)and renal transplantation complication (N=1). Successful nephrostomy was achieved in 79 patients (96%). Causes if failure were minimal dilatation of pelvocaliceal system (N=2) and staghorn calculi (N=1). Follow up laboratory test shows high BUN and creatinine level returned to normal limit within 1 or 3 weeks in 73 patient. Major complication was not found, but temporary hematuria (N=4) or fever (N=1) was noted. In conclusion, percutaneous nephrostomy is the safe and effective method for the temporary and permanent relief of urinary obstruction and maintenance of ureteral patency

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a terminal stage of peripheral arterial disease that, in the absence of intervention, may lead to lower extremity amputation or death. Endovascular interventions have become a first-line approach to the management of CLI and have advanced considerably within the past decade. This review summarizes the types of percutaneous devices and the techniques that are available for the management of CLI and the data supporting their use. These include devices that establish and maintain vessel patency, including percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty, drug-coated balloons, bare metal stents, drug-eluting stents, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, and atherectomy; devices that provide protection from embolization; and, cell-based therapies. Additionally, ongoing trials with important implications for the field are discussed.

Full Text Available Critical limb ischemia (CLI is a terminal stage of peripheral arterial disease that, in the absence of intervention, may lead to lower extremity amputation or death. Endovascular interventions have become a first-line approach to the management of CLI and have advanced considerably within the past decade. This review summarizes the types of percutaneous devices and the techniques that are available for the management of CLI and the data supporting their use. These include devices that establish and maintain vessel patency, including percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty, drug-coated balloons, bare metal stents, drug-eluting stents, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, and atherectomy; devices that provide protection from embolization; and, cell-based therapies. Additionally, ongoing trials with important implications for the field are discussed.

Atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease (PVD) of the lower extremities deprives a person of the ability to exercise to their satisfaction, later of the ability to perform the activities of their daily life, and finally of their legs themselves. Peripheral vascular disease has long been managed by the vascular surgeon utilizing endarterectomy and peripheral arterial bypass. Patient acceptance of nonsurgical, percutaneous procedures such as percutaneoustransluminal balloon angioplasty (PTA) is high. Increased utilization of these procedures has led to improved techniques and adjuncts to therapy, as well as more critical review of long-term results. This article will review the evaluation and nonoperative management of PVD, with an emphasis on the newer modalities of management presently being investigated

A 31-year-old woman with Cogan syndrome (a rare form of systemic vasculitis) was evaluated for a cold, painful left foot with diminished pulses. Arteriography demonstrated thrombosis of the left popliteal artery with evidence of vasculitis. Thrombolytic therapy was begun with initial success but eventual rethrombosis. After reinitiating thrombolytic therapy combined with intraarterial vasodilator therapy, successful angioplasty was performed with sustained results, at 6-month follow-up

Over the past few years, radioisotopic studies have emerged as reliable diagnostic procedures in the screening for renovascular hypertension. More specifically, dynamic reno-scintigraphy (DRS) has been proved to be very sensitive in revealing hypoperfusion due to renal artery stenosis, although it cannot compete with the accuracy of arteriography, which only may provide a definitive diagnosis. Moreover, DRS appears to be a convenient test in clinical routine investigation because of its simplicity, low dose of tracer and high margin of safety for the patients

To evaluate the clinical significance of ST segment depression during repeated Treadmill exercise after successful PTCA, Thallium-201 SPECT was performed. The Thallium-201 SPECT was performed before, one week after and 3-6 months after PTCA. All thirty-five patients had one vessel disease and positive Thallium-201 exercise test. During follow-up period for 3-6 months, 11 of 35 patients had persistent ST segment depression. Restenosis of dilated coronary lesion was demonstrated in 6 of 11 patients. In another 3 of 35 patients, exercise induced ST segment depression was disappered during follow-up Treadmill exercise. In 14 patients with persistent or transient ST segment depression after PTCA, Thallium-201 SPECT demonstrated transient ischemia in 5 of 6 patients with restenosis. In other 8 patients without restenosis, SPECT images did not demonstrate myocardial ischemia and coronary arteriographic findings could not verify side branch stenosis or intimal dissection which might cause myocardial ischemia. The etiology of ST segment depression after successful PTCA in one vessel disease is not produced by exercise induced myocardial ischemia but still unknown mechanisms may be present. (author)

dilatation of femoro-popliteal occlusions, the balloons were inflated on both sides of the lesion. The dilated segment was then isolated from the circulation. Through a sideport between the balloons 5 mg of tissue type plasminogen activator and 1000 IU of heparin were installed within the segment for 30 min...

We report the results of 50 angioplasty procedures via the popliteal artery. A 3-year follow-up including control of blood pressures at ankle and toe levels show results comparable to reports in the literature. This new approach for angioplasty of the superficial femoral artery and eventually of ...

separate segments were dilated. Following 98% initial technical success, 3-year patency was 68% for single short stenoses, as opposed to 20% for long and multifocal stenoses (p = 0.05, logrank test). Antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicyclic acid was not found to influence occurrence of restenosis...

Purpose: Retrospective analysis of the dilatation (PTRA) of renal arterial dysplastic stenosis (RADS). Methods: Seventy patients suffering from hypertension (87RADS) were treated at our institution for medial (83%) or non-classified fibrodysplasias (17%). Four patients suffered from renal insufficiency. Two endoprostheses were implanted. We evaluated blood pressure with the USCSRH criteria and renal insufficiency with the Martin criteria. Results: Ninety-five percent technical success and 87.9% clinical success for blood pressure were obtained, with worse results for patients older than 57 years or with a history of hypertension greater than 9 years. Results were better when the RADS was responsible for an ipsilateral renal atrophy or for poorly controlled hypertension. No renal insufficiency worsened during the follow-up. Conclusion: PTRA is a first-line treatment for renovascular hypertension caused by RADS. The results were encouraging despite a high average age of the subjects and frequent associated extrarenal vascular lesions

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and durability of infra-inguinal PTA in patients with CLI, in terms of clinical outcome. Design:Retrospective study of 50 consecutive patients with CLI that were exclusively treated by infra-inguinal PTA. Methods: The indications for intervention were rest pain in seven (14%) patients,non-healing ulcers in 27 (54%), and gangrenous lesions in 16 (32%).Thirty-three (66%) of these patients presented with a single arterial lesion, and the remaining 17 (34%) with multilevel arterial lesions.Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess survival, patency,limb-salvage rates, and amputation-free survival. Results: A total of 67 endovascular procedures were performed and 59 (88.1%) of them were considered to be technically successful. The median follow-up period was 12 months (interquartilerange: 17 months). The 30-day mortality was 4%, while the cumulative survival rates at 12, 24, and 36 months were 73%, 67%, and 59%,respectively. The cumulative primary patency rates at 12 and 24 months were 63% and 52%, respectively, and remained unchanged thereafter.The estimated secondary patency rate was 72% at 36 months. There was only one below-knee amputation in the patients that were treated exclusively with infra-inguinal PTA. The cumulative amputation-free survival at the same period was estimated at 60%. Conclusions: Infra-inguinal PTA had a good early and late outcome in this series of patients with a limited life expectancy.These results are comparable to historical results of surgical revascularization in the treatment of CLI. There is need for a randomized study to determine the primary optimal interventional approach for patients with CLI

The percutaneous treatment of pericardial effusion resulting in cardiac tamponade has undergone an evolution in recent years with the use of less invasive drainage techniques in selected cases. To determine optimal therapy modalities for oncology patients with malignant pericardial tamponade (MPT), the authors review their institutional experience with percutaneous needle puncture routes, means of imaging-guided drainage and percutaneous management of the pericardial fluid effusion (pericardial sclerosis and balloon pericardiotomy). Advantages and limits of the percutaneous techniques will be compared to the surgical treatment. (orig.)

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) makes it possible to perform intraperitoneal surgical procedures with a minimal number of access points in the abdominal wall. Currently, it is not possible to perform these interventions without the help of abdominal wall entryways, so these procedures are hybrids fusing minilaparoscopy and transluminal endoscopic surgery. This report presents a prospective clinical series of 25 patients who underwent transvaginal hybrid cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. The study comprised a clinical series of 25 consecutive nonrandomized women who underwent a fusion transvaginal NOTES and minilaparoscopy procedure with two trocars for cholelithiasis: one 5-mm umbilical trocar and one 3-mm trocar in the upper left quadrant. The study had no control group. The scheduled surgical intervention was performed for all 25 women. No intraoperative complications occurred. One patient had mild hematuria that resolved in less than 12 h, but no other complications occurred during an average follow-up period of 140 days. Of the 25 women, 20 were discharged in 24 h, and 5 were discharged less than 12 h after the procedure. Hybrid transvaginal cholecystectomy, combining NOTES and minilaparoscopy, is a good surgical model for minimally invasive surgery. It can be performed in surgical settings where laparoscopy is practiced regularly using the instruments normally used for endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery. Due to the reproducibility of the intervention and the ease of vaginal closure, hybrid transvaginal cholecystectomy will permit further development of NOTES in the future.

To introduce a trabectome-initiated gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (TIGATT) procedure and to report preliminary results. A preliminary case series of eight patients who have undergone the newly proposed TIGATT procedure is presented. TIGATT is a new concept that modifies established techniques by replacing the initial goniotomy incision of gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) with an ab interno trabeculectomy ablation utilizing the trabectome. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon (W.I.K.) between November 2014 and October 2015 in adults with primary open-angle glaucoma. Recorded outcome measures were intraocular pressure (IOP), number of medications, and complications. Eight patients with an age range of 63-93 yr underwent TIGATT with at least 3 mo of follow-up. Five of the eight initial patients had follow-up to 2 yr. The mean pre-operative IOP was 25 mmHg (standard deviation [SD] 7.0) on four medications (SD 1.1). The mean post-operative IOP at 3 mo was 14 mmHg (SD 1.8) on two medications (SD 1.3). The average decrease in IOP was 9.9 mmHg (SD 7.5) with an average decrease in medications of two (SD 1.4) at 3 mo. At 2 yr, the mean post-operative IOP was 14 mmHg (SD 3.2) on one medication (SD 1.1). The average decrease in IOP was 7.8 mmHg (SD 3.1) with an average decrease in medications of two (SD 1.8). There were two treatment failures that required further glaucoma surgery and one patient was lost to follow-up. The preliminary results and safety profile for TIGATT are promising and appear at least comparable with previously published results for both GATT and trabectome. Initiating the transluminal trabeculotomy with trabectome clearly exposes Schlemm's canal and facilitates threading the microcatheter into the canal. Additionally, if the 360-degree trabeculotomy cannot be completed because of an incompletely patent Schlemm's canal, the patient will at least have a trabectome ablation that can serve as their glaucoma

Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is a commonly performed procedure in critically sick patients. It can be safely performed bedside by intensivists. This has resulted in decline in the use of surgical tracheostomy in intensive care unit (ICU) except in few selected cases. Most common indication of tracheostomy in ICU is need for prolonged ventilation. About 10% of patients requiring at least 3 days of mechanical ventilator support get tracheostomised during ICU stay. The ideal timing of PDT remains undecided at present. Contraindications and complications become fewer with increase in experience. Various methods of performing PDT have been discovered in last two decades. Preoperative work up, patient selection and post tracheostomy care form key components of a successful PDT. Bronchoscopy and ultrasound have been found to be useful procedural adjuncts, especially in presence of unfavorable anatomy. This article gives a brief overview about the use of PDT in ICU. PMID:28074819

Percutaneous gastrostomies or gastroenterostomies serve for temporary or permanent enteric feeding in patients with obstruction or functional derangement of the esophagus or hypopharynx. In addition, this radiological procedure may be indicated for small bowel decompression. The authors present their experience in 71 patients. Insufflation of air through a nasogastric tube or catheter is the preferred method for gastric distension. The inferior margin of the left lobe of the liver and the transverse colon are localized sonographically and fluoroscopically prior to puncture. Either Seldinger or Trocartechniques have proven effective in establishing access to the stomach. The feeding tube is advanced into the proximal jejunum to reduce the likelyhood of gastroesophageal reflux and possible aspiration. Complications were encountered in four patients and included catheter dislocation in three and respiratory distress in one patient.

Transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA) was introduced in 1977 for dilatation of coronary stenoses. From October 1977 to December 1984 1087 procedures have been performed in Frankfurt. The mean success rate was 77% with an increase from 58% to 84% since 1977. Recurrences were seen within the first year in 15% of the patients, which could be treated successfully in a high percentage with a second TCA. Emergency bypass operations were necessary in 5.2%. Four patients (fatality rate 0.37%) died as the consequence of the intervention. Within few years TCA has become an established procedure for myocardial revascularisation, with a high success rate. Major progress has been possible in the last few years due to technical developments, which are still going on. They may lead to further improvement of the results and enlargement of the indication for TCA. (orig.) [de

The purpose of this study was to compare on the basis of up to date papers currently applied methods of the percutaneous tracheostomy (PT). There are four main PT methods by: Ciaglia, Schachner, Griggs and Fantoni. In these methods a wire is introduced into the trachea serving as a guide for special forceps or series of dilatators of increasing diameter to dilate the wall and allow cannulation of the trachea. In the literature authors found a low incidence of complications after PT. Acute complications were documented in 6-18% and late complications in 1-3% of the patients. Follow-up showed no late obstructive complications at the level of stomia and very low (0.3-0.36%) mortality risk. Translaryngeal tracheostomy (TLT) by Fantoni ensures minimal risk of complications and tissue trauma. In the TLT method through a needle inserted in to the trachea a guide wire is retrogradely pushed out of the mouth and attached to special flexible tracheostomy tube by flexible plastic cone with pointed metal tip. This device is then pulled back through larynx and outwards across the trachea and neck wall by traction on the wire. TLT can also be used in infants and children and in difficult patients in whom other techniques are riskier Review of the literature suggests that the PT can be safe and also cost-effective for properly selected patients in intensive care and other hospital units.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous drainage of fluid collections following pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple's procedure). Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 19 patients referred to our service with fluid collections following pancreaticoduodenectomy. The presence of associated enteric or biliary fistulas, the route(s) of access for image-guided drainage, the incidence of positive bacterial cultures, and the duration and success of percutaneous management were recorded. Results: Fistulous communication to the jejunum in the region of the pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis was demonstrable in all 19 patients by gentle contrast injection into drainage tubes. Three patients had concurrent biliary fistulas. In 18 of 19 patients, fluid samples yielded positive bacterial cultures. Successful percutaneous evacuation of fluid was achieved in 17 of 19 patients (89%). The mean duration of drainage was 31 days. Conclusion: Percutaneous drainage of abscess following pancreaticoduodenectomy is effective in virtually all patients despite the coexistence of enteric and biliary fistulas

Full Text Available The article describes the clinical case in a patient with bilateral nephrolithiasis, chronic kidney disease of the 4th stage, after which bleeding from the left kidney developed after simultaneous bilateral percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL, leading to severe hemic hypoxia. Conservative therapy, blood transfusion did not lead to a persistent effect, the bleeding continued to recur. Given the presence of chronic renal failure (CRF from the embolization of the branches of the renal artery, it was decided to abstain, given the extremely high risk of aggravation of nephropathy after the administration of the contrast drug. Left-sided nephrectomy would inevitably lead to the development of terminal chronic renal failure. Patients performed an electrocoagulation of the fistula wall with a Karl Storz 26C resectoscope in 60W mode. The bleeding was completely stopped. The patient is discharged from the hospital in a satisfactory condition. At the time of discharge in the conduct of replacement renal therapy did not need. When analyzing publications in The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline and Web of Science, we did not find a description of such a method of hemostasis.

Percutaneous treatment of renal artery stenosis (RAS) is an accepted procedure and numerous reports have been published. However, experience with its use in RAS in the transplanted kidney in children is scarce. Since 1994 we have diagnosed RAS in seven children with the use of Doppler ultrasonography (US), confirming it with percutaneous angiography (PAG). In six of the seven patients percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) was performed. In one patient a metallic stent was placed due to the extension of the arterial lesion, and a second stent was placed in another child when a re-stenosis was diagnosed 1 month after the PTA. All patients presented with hypertension (de novo or 30% increase over previous values). After ruling out acute rejection, calcineurin inhibitor toxicity, and urinary obstruction, US was performed and, when an increase in arterial flux velocity was registered, PAG was also performed. Six children showed an increase in serum creatinine (Cr) and proteinuria. Blood pressure decreased after the procedure and Cr returned to previous levels in all children. One of the grafts was lost due to chronic transplant rejection 7 years later. The other children have a functioning kidney. Although this is a small group of patients, the consistently good results and the lack of reported experience prompted us to communicate our preliminary observation.

To assess the results of transluminal coronary angioplasty 48 patients with coronary heart disease were investigated at rest and during exercise with the ECG (46 patients), thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy (26 patients), and equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (38 patients). Exercise stress test was quantified by means of an ischemia score, myocardial scintigraphy by an vitality index and by corresponding redistribution factors, and radionuclide ventriculography by ejection fraction and maximum systolic volume change as a fraction of enddiastolic volume. The patients were divided into three groups: 36 patients had successful TCA (group 1); 6 patients underwent aortocoronary bypass operation (ACB, group 2); in 6 patients TCA was unsuccessful, they served as control (group 3). On average TCA yielded a reduction of coronary artery stenosis from 83% to 44%. Functional improvement was comparable in group 1 and 2: Ischemia score was reduced significantly. Perfusion index increased, the corresponding redistribution factors decreased. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased at rest and during exercise. Maximum systolic volume change increased correspondingly. Only slight changes were noted in group 3. Three months later 2 of 16 reinvestigated patients showed a restenosis and one a new narrowing distal to the successfully dilated stenosis. Functional deterioration could be demonstrated in these, whilst maintainance of the good functional results was documented in the others. (orig./MG) [de

A stenosis of a side-to-side splenorenal shunt was treated by percutaneous angioplasty two years after the performance of the shunt. After dilatation, there was a fall of the splenorenal pressure gradient from 28 to 17 cm H 2 O and good transanastomotic flow was re-estabilshed. As in other arterial and venous territories, angioplasty may be an interesting alternative to surgery. (orig.)

Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) is a well-established method to remedy stenoses and short occlusions in the femoro-popliteal region and has also proved worthwhile in dilating stenoses of pelvic, renal and coronary arteries. Following successful experiments in animals, Mathias et al. employed angioplasty to treat carotid artery stenoses in the same way. To date, successful treatment of carotid artery stenoses has been described only in isolated recent reports. For fear of embolism, angioplasty has not yet become standard practice in this region. Because of the limited number of carotid artery stenoses treated so far, the risk involved cannot be reliably assessed. It is remarkable that no embolism has been reported for the greater number of dilated stenoses of the subclavian artery. Moreover, the report by Mathias et al. indicated that for 350 angioplasties of pelvifemoral arteries 1.1% embolisms occured after artery occlusions only, while no embolism was observed after stenoses. Having gained experience of applying PTA to the treatment of vascular obstructions of extremities, we have adopted this technique in the carotid area as well.

Intestinal ischemia is divided into three categories, namely, acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI), chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI), and colonic ischemia. AMI can result from arterial or venous thrombi, emboli, and vasoconstriction secondary to low-flow states. It is an urgent condition which can result in high mortality rate. The predominant causative factor of CMI is stenosis or occlusion of the mesenteric arterial circulation, and it is characterized by postprandial abdominal pain and weight loss. Surgery is the treatment of choice for intestinal ischemia. However, it has been recently reported that percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty with stent placement and/or thrombolysis is an effective therapy in various types of mesenteric ischemia. We report six cases of mesenteric ischemia which were successfully treated by percutaneous angioplasty, and review the literature from South Korea.

Percutaneous ureteral stent insertion is a treatment of permanent or temporary urinary diversion to maintain continuity and function of the obstructed and injured ureter. We performed 31 cases of percutaneous double pig tall ureteral stent insertion in 21 patients, included 13 patients with malignant ureteral obstruction and eight patients with injured ureter as well as benign inflammatory stricture. Satisfactory resulted was obtained in all patients but one, who need percutaneous nephrostomy on week later for urinary diversion. No significant complication was encountered. The authors concluded that percutaneous ureteral stent insertion, an interventional procedure alternative to urologic retrograde method, is an effective method for urinary diversion.

Following percutaneous atherectomy, arterial and catheter diameter relationships were correlated with angiographic and ankle-arm index results. There was a greater amount of tissue removed, improved luminal reconstitution, and ankle-arm index in lesions where the catheter and arterial diameters were equal or within 0.5 mm. Excluding lesions requiring angioplasty, 77% of our lesions had less than 30% residual stenosis; including lesions requiring concomitant angioplasty, the initial overall patency was 93%, with a 1-year patency rate of 92.5%. This study indicates that adequate matching of the atherectomy catheter diameter to the arterial diameter is necessary to optimize tissue removal and clinical results

Perforation accounts for 70% of deaths attributed to peptic ulcers. Laparoscopic repair is effective but infrequently used. Our aim was to assess how many patients with perforated peptic ulcer could be candidates for a transluminal endoscopic omental patch closure. This retrospective study reviewed patients with perforated peptic ulcer from 2005 to 2010. Demographics, ulcer characteristics, operative procedure, and outcomes were recorded. Candidates for endoscopic transluminal repair were defined as those having undergone omental patch closure of an ulcer of appropriate size and no contraindications to laparoscopy or endoscopy. In the retrospective review, a total of 104 patients were identified; 62% female, mean age = 68 years, mean ASA of 3, and 63% medication-related ulcers. Fifty-nine (63%) had an omental patch (80% open), and 35 (37%) had other procedures. Ten patients had nonoperative management. Thirty-day mortality was 14% and 1 year mortality was 35%. Forty-nine patients (52%) were considered potential candidates for transluminal repair. Sixty-three percent of our patients sustained a medication-related perforation with 1 year mortality of 35%. The majority of patients were treated using open omental patch repair. Transluminal endoscopic repair may provide an additional situation for a minimally invasive approach for a number of these patients.

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage was successfully made 20 times on 17 patients of obstructive jaundice for recent 1 year since June 1981 at Department of Radiology in Seoul National University Hospital. The causes of obstructive jaundice was CBD Ca in 13 cases, metastasis in 2 cases, pancreatic cancer in 1 case and CBD stone in 1 case. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is a relatively ease, safe and effective method which can be done after PTC by radiologist. It is expected that percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage should be done as an essential procedure for transient permanent palliation of obstructive jaundice

The clinical records and procedural details of 28 angioplasty procedures performed on 25 patients were reviewed. Long-term follow-up was conducted by examining the referring physicians' records and by direct telephone contact with the patient. Nine patients had neurologic symptoms only, eight patients had arm claudication symptoms only, seven patients had both neurologic and arm symptoms, and two patients underwent dilation procedures to provide graft inflow. Procedural complications were a stroke in the contralateral carotid distribution during follow-up thoracic aortography, and an embolus to the fifth digit (of no clinical significance). Long-term success of the angioplasty procedure did not correlate with initial symptoms, degree of stenosis, lesion length, or postangioplasty appearance. All patients with arm and neurologic symptoms and who were followed up for 3 years, with the exception of the patient who suffered a periprocedural stroke

The monorail technique allows monitoring of all steps of the coronary angioplasty procedure by high quality coronary angiography; easy, rapid, and safe recrossing and redilatation of the lesion if necessary; and stepwise dilatation of a stenosis with sequential increase of size of balloons. Transstenotic pressure differences cannot, however, be measured through the narrow shaft of the standard monorail balloon catheter. The monorail technique was used in 1014 patients (820 men, 194 women; mean age 57.8 years (range 24 to 84]. The indication for coronary angioplasty was stable angina in 52%, unstable angina in 40%, and acute myocardial infarction in 8%. Single vessel coronary angioplasty was attempted in 78%, multilesion coronary angioplasty in 11%, and multivessel coronary angioplasty in 11%. Angiographic success (reduction of stenosis to less than 50% of the luminal diameter) of all attempted lesions was achieved in 93%. The technique was clinically successful--that is, angiographic success of all attempted lesions, no occurrence of a major complication (death, myocardial infarction, acute bypass surgery), and improvement of symptoms--in 92% and partially successful in 1.3%. The clinical success rates were similar for stable angina (91%) and unstable angina (94%), but were somewhat lower for acute myocardial infarction (88%). Failure without major complication occurred in 3.4% of the patients. Failure with a major complication occurred in 3.3% (death 0.3%, myocardial infarction 2.4%, and acute bypass surgery 2.3%). The total major complication rate was higher in unstable angina (4.2%) than in stable angina (3.0%). These results indicate that the monorail technique can be applied safely and effectively for coronary angioplasty of patients with stable angina, unstable angina, and acute myocardial infarction.

textabstractTo determine the costs of a procedure, the total costs of the department that provides the service must be considered and, in addition, the direct cost of the specific procedure. Applying this principle to the cost accounting of angioplasty and bypass surgery results in a direct, i.e.

There are inherent difficulties in using high-resolution DSA in interventional radiology for measuring vascular luminal diameter since enlargement ratios are not constant. We present a system that permits accurate determination of vascular lumen diameters by means of a special angiographic catheter with predefined marking points. The accuracy of this measuring method was explored in tests using phantoms. In vivo practicability of the method was proved in PTA and stent implantations in 39 patients. This method with a maximum error of measurement of 5% appears to provide adequate safety in the choice of suitable dilating balloons and stents in interventional vascular procedures. In follow-up, it permits the accurate measurement of neo-intimal thickness. (orig.)

Objective: To compare the performance of small intestinal submucosa (SIS)-covered endografts (SCEs) to bare nitinol stents (BSs) in injured swine iliac arteries. Materials and methods: Twenty-eight nitinol stents were used: 14 externally SCEs and 14 BSs. Devices were implanted in each side of balloon-injured external iliac arteries of 14 swine via carotid approach. Arteriograms were obtained before and after implantation and before animal sacrifice at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Histopathological and electron microscopy studies of explanted specimens were performed. Results: Implantation of all SCEs and BSs was technically successful, but one SCE and one BS were obstructed at 8 weeks after implantation. At sacrifice, the other 26 stents were patent, with angiogram showing no significant different luminal narrowing between SCEs and BSs. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunohistochemistry examination revealed that the percentage of PCNA(+) cells were lower in SCEs (p < 0.05). Additionally, histomorphological analysis indicated that the neointima area and percentage of narrowing area were greater in SCEs, but there was no statistical significance. Greater endothelial cell count in SCEs than in BSs per visual field at 4000 times magnification by scanning electron microscope (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Compared to BSs, no definite decrease of neointima and restenosis was found in SCEs in the present study. However, it is effective in promoting endothelial regeneration and strengthening endothelial function.

The lack of triangulation of standard endoscopic devices limits the degree of freedom for surgical maneuvers during natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). This study explored the feasibility of adapting an intuitively controlled master and slave transluminal endoscopic robot (MASTER) the authors developed to facilitate wedge hepatic resection in NOTES. The MASTER consists of a master controller, a telesurgical workstation, and a slave manipulator that holds two end-effectors: a grasper, and a monopolar electrocautery hook. The master controller is attached to the wrist and fingers of the operator and connected to the manipulator by electrical and wire cables. Movements of the operator are detected and converted into control signals driving the slave manipulator via a tendon-sheath power transmission mechanism allowing nine degrees of freedom. Using this system, wedge hepatic resection was performed through the transgastric route on two female pigs under general anesthesia. Entry into the peritoneal cavity was via a 10-mm incision made on the anterior wall of the stomach by the electrocautery hook. Wedge hepatic resection was performed using the robotic grasper and hook. Hemostasis was achieved with the electrocautery hook. After the procedure, the resected liver tissue was retrieved through the mouth using the grasper. Using the MASTER, transgastric wedge hepatic resection was successfully performed on two pigs with no laparoscopic assistance. The entire procedure took 9.4 min (range, 8.5-10.2 min), with 7.1 min (range, 6-8.2 min) spent on excision of the liver tissue. The robotics-controlled device was able to grasp, retract, and excise the liver specimen successfully in the desired plane. This study demonstrated for the first time that the MASTER could effectively mitigate the technical constraints normally encountered in NOTES procedures. With it, the triangulation of surgical tools and the manipulation of tissue became easy, and wedge hepatic

A man aged 33 with poorly controlled hypertension who had been treated with radiotherapy and combination chemotherapy for testicular teratoma 8 years earlier was found on arteriography to have 75% stenosis of the left renal artery and occlusion of the right renal artery. The stenosis was dilated by transluminal angioplasty and the hypertension adequately controlled. Patients who develop high blood pressure after abdominal radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy should be investigated for renal artery stenosis. (author)

The boundaries in minimally invasive techniques are continually being pushed further. Recent years have brought new and exciting changes with the advent of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery. With the evolution of this field of surgery come challenges in the development of new instruments and the actual steps of the procedure. Included in these challenges is the idea of developing a proficiency-based curriculum for training.

The research was aimed at elucidation of the relationship of the clinical and angiographic factors, on the one hand, and development of acute occlusion following transluminal balloon coronary angioplasty TBCA, on the other. TBCA was carried out in 162 patients. Eight (4.9 %) patients developed acute occlusion of the coronary artery, which was complicated by acute myocardial infarction in 50 % cases. 35 refs.; 4 tabs

Percutaneous intervention procedures in obstructive uropathy include percutaneous nephrostomy tube placements, nephroureteral stents, percutaneous nephrostomy combined with ureteral embolization, percutaneous management of stone disease, suprapubic tube placements into the bladder, and perinephric/retroperitoneal urinomas/abscesses drainages. Percutaneous nephrostomy is performed to relieve urinary obstruction or divert the urinary stream away from the ureter or bladder. Patients are given preprocedure antibiotics. Percutaneous nephrostomies can be emergent cases because of risk of pyuria and sepsis from a stagnant urine collection. The procedure is performed using both ultrasound and fluoroscopy (or fluoroscopy alone using anatomic landmarks, or an internal radiopaque calculus, or delayed phase excretion of the contrast into the renal collecting system) under local anesthesia or conscious sedation. Ureteral stents are placed to bypass an obstructing stone or to stent across of an area of stricture or ureteral laceration. Stents may be placed by the urologist via a transurethral approach or by the interventional radiologist via a percutaneous approach. The decision as to method of stent placement is based upon the location and accessibility of the ureteral pathology. Ureteral embolization is performed in patients with unresectable tumors of the pelvis with long-standing nephrostomy tubes and distal urine leaks refractory to other treatments. Coils, gelfoam and liquid embolic materials can be used. Ureteral embolization for ureteral fistulas and incontinence is technically successful in 100% of the patients. Complications include bleeding, infection, ureteral or renal injury, and deployment (or movement) of the coils within the renal pelvis. Percutaneous management of stone disease, including renal, ureteral, and bladder stones requires close cooperation between the urologist and interventional radiologist, because of availability of sonographic lithotripsy

The authors describe the techique employed for percutaneous trans-hepatic sphincterotomy as performed on 3 patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones. In all patients, previous endoscopic attempt had failed for anatomical reasons (Billroth II gastric resection or partial gastric resection with brown anastomosis), and the ampulla could not be correctly incannulated with the sphincterotome. In all aptients endoscopy was useful to check the position of the diethermic loop inserted percutaneously. Conplete and immediate success was obtained in all 3 cases. No major complications occurred during transhepatic treatment. To date, 1 recurrence has been observed, and the patient has been retreated with bilioplasty. All patients were followed after 5-6 months with US, plain X-rays of the abdomen and blood tests (γGt, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubinemia). The authors suggest that percutaneous transhepatic sphincterotomy be employed electively in patients with biliary tree diseases in case the endoscopic approach failes

Objective: To evaluate the technical feasibility and sensitivity of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographic forceps biopsy in bile duct diseases. Methods: Between April 2001 and March 2003, 65 consecutive patients (36 men and 29 women; age range 33-88 years, mean 54 years) with obstructive jaundice underwent transluminal forceps biopsy or/and brush during percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and drainage, or placement of stents. The technique was performed through an existing percutaneous transhepatic tract. Multiple specimens were obtained after passing the biopsy forceps or brush into a long 8-French sheath, and the specimens were fixed with formalin for pathologic or cytologic diagnosis. Statistical analysis was performed with the χ 2 test or Fisher exact probability, and P 2 =5.919, P=0.015). The cyctologic diagnosis was acquired in 43 of 58 patients with brush biopsy. Pathologic reports included cholangioadenocarcinoma (n=36), cholangiosquam-ocarcinoma (n=1), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n=1), hepatocellular carcinoma (n=2), metastatic carcinoma (n=2), zoogloea aggregation (n=1), and negative results (n=15). The sensitivity rate of brush biopsy was 74.14%. Sensitivity of brush in the 45 patients with cholangiocarcinoma was higher than in the 11 patients with malignant tumors other than cholangiocarcinoma (82.22% vs 45.45%, χ 2 =4.563, P=0.033). Sensitivity of forceps biopsy in the 65 patients was higher than that of brush in the 58 patients (χ 2 =4.754, P=0.029). Conclusion: Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiobiopsy is a safe and minimal invasive procedure with no pain and low complication that is easy to perform with no addition trauma through a transhepatic biliary drainage tract. It is an effective, economic, accurate, and reliable new approach, which is safe and easy to perform in acquiring the pathologic diagnosis worthy to spread extensively. (authors)

Mar 30, 1974 ... Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography can play a major role in expediting the early diagnosis of surgically correctable jaundice. The need for this is emphasised by the fact that in a group of 46 patients the delay between the onset of jaundice and diagnosis ranged from 20 to 90 days. Transhepatic ...

Obstructions of the supraaortic vessels are an important cause of morbidity associated with a variety of symptoms. Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty has evolved as an effective and safe treatment modality for occlusive lesions of the supraaortic vessels. However, the endovascular management of an innominate bifurcation has not previously been reported. A 53-year-old female with a history of systematic hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia presented with left hemiparesis and dysarthria. Angiography of the innominate artery showed a stenosis of the innominate bifurcation. The lesion was successfully treated using the retrograde kissing stent technique via a brachial approach and an exposed direct carotid approach. The retrograde kissing stent technique for the treatment of a stenosis of the innominate bifurcation was found to be a safe and effective alternative to conventional surgery. (orig.)

Obstructions of the supraaortic vessels are an important cause of morbidity associated with a variety of symptoms. Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty has evolved as an effective and safe treatment modality for occlusive lesions of the supraaortic vessels. However, the endovascular management of an innominate bifurcation has not previously been reported. A 53-year-old female with a history of systematic hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia presented with left hemiparesis and dysarthria. Angiography of the innominate artery showed a stenosis of the innominate bifurcation. The lesion was successfully treated using the retrograde kissing stent technique via a brachial approach and an exposed direct carotid approach. The retrograde kissing stent technique for the treatment of a stenosis of the innominate bifurcation was found to be a safe and effective alternative to conventional surgery. (orig.)

Radiolucent cholesterol gallstones can be dissolved rapidly by methyl terc-buryl ether (MTBE) introduced directly into the gallbladder. Percutaneous transhepatic catheter placement is a well established interventional radiology procedure and is the preferred route for MTBE administration. A small number of patients have been treated using nasobiliary placement of a gallbladder catheter. Rapid stirring automatic pump systems allow dissolution of most cholesterol stones, but s...

This article describes the application of percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the treatment of crural artery obstruction in patients with critical lower limb ischemia. In 17 patients, 24 PTAs of crural artery obstructions were performed. The clinical material consisted of 9 men and 8 women, whose mean age was 72 years (range 54-85 years). 11 patients were classified in clinical stage Fontaine IV, and 6 in stage III. The obstructions were from 3 to 21 cm (mean 6 cm). In 8 cases, PTA of the femoropopliteal segment was also carried out. The risk factors and comorbidities included diabetes 10 cases (58.8%), hypertension 9 cases (56%), ischemic heart disease 8 cases (50%), hyperlipidaemia 7 cases (43.8%), cerebrovascular diseases 3 cases (18.8%), and cigarette smoking 6 cases (37.5%). Technical success was defined as restoration of the artery along its whole length to the foot. Pain relief at rest and healing of trophic lesions at 30-day follow-up were recognized as a good outcome. Technical success was achieved in 12 patients (70.6%). In 2 cases the patency was only restored in the proximal part of the artery (12.5%). In 3 cases (17.6%) the procedure failed. In one case acute occlusion of the artery occurred. In 2 cases the obstruction was not successfully passed with a guidewire. In 4 cases hematoma was found at the puncture site, without clinical consequences. In 13 patients (76.4%) clinical success was achieved. Percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty is an effective and relatively safe method of treatment of patients with critical limb ischemia caused by obstruction of the crural arteries. (author)

Objective: To evaluate the treating effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for cervical vertebral metastasis, and to explore the cervical vertebral technique of percutaneous vertebroplasty. Methods: Eleven cases with single cervical vertebral metastasis underwent PVP, including C2 in 1 case, C3 in 2 cases, C4 in 4 cases, C5 in 3 cases, and C6 in 1 case. PVP was performed with the instruments and PMMA made in China. Anterolateral route was used under the guidance of fluoroscopy in 10 cases, and posterolateral route was used under the guidance of CT combined with fluoroscopy in 1 case of C 2 vertebra. PMMA was injected in the paste period. CT scans were performed before and after the procedures. Results: The successful puncturing of PVP was obtained in 100%. The percentage of lesion PMMA filling was more than 50% demonstrated by CT. The clinical data of 11 cases was followed up for 7 to 12 months. The rate of marked or complete pain relief was demonstrated in all cases (CR in 6 cases, PR in 5 cases) within 7 days, 7/10 in 6 months, and 5/9 in 12 months, respectively, after operation. There was no bleeding of the puncturing route or leakage of PMMA related complications with clinical performance. Conclusion: The clinical effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty for cervical vertebral metastasis was satisfied

To assess the results of transluminal coronary angioplasty 48 patients with coronary heart disease were investigated at rest and during exercise with the ECG (46 patients), thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy (26 patients), and equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (38 patients). Exercise stress test was quantified by means of an ischemia score, myocardial scintigraphy by an vitality index and by corresponding redistribution factors, and radionuclide ventriculography by ejection fraction and maximum systolic volume change as a fraction of enddiastolic volume. This, the results show, that in selected cases, TCA can achieve improved left ventricular function and perfusion comparable to that of aortocoronary bypass surgery. (orig./MG) [de

The standard treatment for aortic aneurysms is surgical replacement with a prosthetic graft. Currently there is great interest in endoluminal intervention for treatment of aortic aneurysm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of endoluminally placed Stent-graft for the treatment of aortic aneurysms. Transluminal endovascular Stent-graft placements were attempted in 9 patients with infra-renal aortic aneurysms(n 6), thoracic aortic aneurysm(n = 1), and aortic dissection(n = 2). The endovascular Stent-grafts were custom-designed for each patient and were constructed of self-expandable modified Gianturco Stents covered with polytetrafluroethylene. The Stent-grafts were introduced through a 16-18 French sheath and expanded to 17-30 mm in diameter. The endovascular therapy was performed using a common femoral artery cutdown with local anesthesia. The endovascular Stent-graft deployment was achieved in 7 of 9 patients. Two cases failed deployment of the Stent-graft due to iliac artery stenosis and tortousity. There were complete thrombosis of the thoracic and infra-renal aortic aneurysm surround the Stent-graft in 3 patients, and persistent leak with partial thrombosis in 2. Two patients with aortic dissection were successfully treated by obliteration of entry tears. There were no major complication associated with Stent-graft placement. These preliminary results show that transluminal endovascular Stent-grafts offer great promise and good results. Further investigation is needed to establish its long-term safety and efficacy.

The standard treatment for aortic aneurysms is surgical replacement with a prosthetic graft. Currently there is great interest in endoluminal intervention for treatment of aortic aneurysm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of endoluminally placed Stent-graft for the treatment of aortic aneurysms. Transluminal endovascular Stent-graft placements were attempted in 9 patients with infra-renal aortic aneurysms(n 6), thoracic aortic aneurysm(n = 1), and aortic dissection(n = 2). The endovascular Stent-grafts were custom-designed for each patient and were constructed of self-expandable modified Gianturco Stents covered with polytetrafluroethylene. The Stent-grafts were introduced through a 16-18 French sheath and expanded to 17-30 mm in diameter. The endovascular therapy was performed using a common femoral artery cutdown with local anesthesia. The endovascular Stent-graft deployment was achieved in 7 of 9 patients. Two cases failed deployment of the Stent-graft due to iliac artery stenosis and tortousity. There were complete thrombosis of the thoracic and infra-renal aortic aneurysm surround the Stent-graft in 3 patients, and persistent leak with partial thrombosis in 2. Two patients with aortic dissection were successfully treated by obliteration of entry tears. There were no major complication associated with Stent-graft placement. These preliminary results show that transluminal endovascular Stent-grafts offer great promise and good results. Further investigation is needed to establish its long-term safety and efficacy

Although endovascular management of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is well studied, little information exists regarding endovascular treatment of critical upper limb ischemia. We report a case of transluminal recanalization of right radial artery chronic total occlusion (CTO) using rendezvous technique in a patient with critical hand ischemia and dry gangrene of the right index finger.

Full Text Available Although endovascular management of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD is well studied, little information exists regarding endovascular treatment of critical upper limb ischemia. We report a case of transluminal recanalization of right radial artery chronic total occlusion (CTO using rendezvous technique in a patient with critical hand ischemia and dry gangrene of the right index finger.

Most natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) procedures to date rely on the hybrid technique with simultaneous laparoscopic access to protect against access-related complications and to achieve adequate triangulation for dissection. This is done at the cost of the potential benefi...

To assess the usefulness of percutaneous treatment of abnormalities of the venous tree in extending the survival of external Thomas shunts (TS). Twelve cases of TS were included in a hemodialysis access fistula dysfunction monitoring program and were followed for up to 48 months. The abnormalities found were treated by percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) or thrombolysis and PTA. Survival curves and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to calculate the likelihood of primary patency (P1), secondary patency (P2), and overall patency (OP). A total of 61 interventions were performed during the period of follow-up. On 12 occasions the fistula was thrombosed; in the rest, increased venous pressure to 150 mmHg or higher was detected during dialysis. Fistulography was performed after washing the thrombosed fistulas with urokinase, and revealed one or more of the following angiographic signs: 1) a short reduction of more than 50% in lumen caliber in the femoral vein adjacent to the anastomosis, present in 52% of the cases (fig. 1); 2) imaging a "jet" of contrast material at the site of entry of the shunt into the femoral vein (fig. 2), present in 22% of the cases; and 3) a filling defect or "flap" at the same site, owing to hyperplastic tissue or piece of thrombus adhering to the intima, present in 34% of the cases (figs. 3-5). This last-mentioned finding ordinarily gave rise to a "valve" effect, whereby injection into the venous branch was feasible but aspiration from the venous branch was difficult or impossible. PTA was carried out and attained anatomical and functional success in 100% of cases. PI was 58%, 33%, 8%, and 0% at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively; P2 was 100%, 75%, 58%, and 25%; respectively, at those same times. The comparison of the PI and P2 curves was statistically significant; p < 0.001 (table 1). OP was 83%, 66%, 50% and 41% at 12, 24, 36 and 48 months. The comparison of the PI surgical and OP curves was statistically significant; p < 0

Full Text Available Michael C Meadows1,3, Ronald S Chamberlain1,2,31Department of Surgery, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, NJ, USA; 2Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA; 3Saint George’s University, School of Medicine, West Indies, GrenadaIntroduction: The evolution of techniques for the performance of a cholecystectomy over the last 25 years has been swift. The laparoscopic approach is now the gold standard for removal of the gall bladder and is the most frequently performed minimally invasive procedure globally. Currently in its infancy stage, natural orifice transluminal endoscopy surgery, or NOTES, is purported to be the next leap forward in minimally invasive approaches. The safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of this procedure, as well as the significance of potential benefits to patients beyond current surgical approaches are yet undetermined.Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, a search engine ­created by the National Library of Medicine. Keywords used in the search included “natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery”, “NOTES”, “cholecystectomy”, “transcolonic”, “transvaginal”, and “transgastric”. The accumulated literature was critically analyzed and reviewed.Results: One-hundred and eighty-six cases of NOTES cholecystectomies have been published to date. Of these, 174 have been performed through a transvaginal approach. The remainder of the procedures were performed transgastrically. There are no published reports of ­transcolonic cholecystectomies performed in humans. Four of 186 cases (2.15% were converted to traditional laparoscopy due to intraoperative complications. No significant complications or mortalities have been reported.Conclusion: NOTES cholecystectomy appears to be a feasible procedure. However, technical, safety, and ethical issues remain relatively unresolved. Besides improved cosmesis, whether additional

The study was aimed to the evaluation of the effectiveness and results of ultrasound guided percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PNL) for the treatment of patients with large stones in renal pelvis. The results of PNL in 138 patients who underwent surgery for kidney stones from 2011 to 2013 were analyzed. Seventy patients (Group 1) underwent surgery with combined ultrasound and radiological guidance, and 68 patients (Group 2)--only with ultrasound guidance. The study included patients with large renal pelvic stones larger than 2.2 cm, requiring the formation of a single laparoscopic approach. Using the comparative analysis, the timing of surgery, the number of intra- and postoperative complications, blood loss and length of stay were evaluated. Percutaneous access was successfully performed in all patients. Postoperative complications (exacerbation of chronic pyelonephritis, gross hematuria) were observed in 14.3% of patients in Group 1 and in 14.7% of patients in Group 2. Bleeding requiring blood transfusion, and injuries of adjacent organs were not registered. Efficacy of PNL in the Group 1 was 95.7%; 3 (4.3%) patients required additional interventions. In Group 2, the effectiveness of PNL was 94.1%, 4 (5.9%) patients additionally underwent extracorporeal lithotripsy. There were no significant differences in the effectiveness of PNL, the volume of blood loss and duration of hospitalization. Ultrasound guided PNL can be performed in large pelvic stones and sufficient expansion of renal cavities, thus reducing radiation exposure of patients and medical staff.

Department of Homeland Security — Hurricane Evacuation Routes in the United States A hurricane evacuation route is a designated route used to direct traffic inland in case of a hurricane threat. This...

To describe a novel technique for thermally marking the tip of a suture, in preparation for a gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy. One patient was used as an example for this technique. Technique report. The authors introduce a modification of a novel surgical procedure (GATT) in which a suture is marked and thermally blunted allowing a proper visualization while performing an ab interno, minimally invasive, circumferential 360-degree suture trabeculotomy. The authors have previously reported on the GATT surgery with the use of an illuminated microcatheter, which allowed for visualization of the tip of the catheter as it circumnavigated Schlemm canal. This modification allows for similar visualization of the tip of the suture, however, is much more cost-effective while still maintaining similar safety.

To assess the feasibility of transluminal radiofrequency thermal ablation using a stent-type electrode and to determine, by means of in-vivo and in-vivo animal studies, the appropriate parameters. In-vivo: the radiofrequency electrode used was a self-expandable nitinol stent with 1cm insulated ends. A stent was placed in the portal vein of bovine liver, and ablations at target temperatures of 70, 80, 90, and 100 .deg. C were performed. Ablated sizes were measured longitudinally. In vivo: four mongrel dogs were anesthetized, and a stent was inserted in the common bile duct under fluoroscopic guidance through an ultrasound-guided gall bladder puncture site. The ablation temperature was set at 80 .deg. C, and each dog underwent proximal and distal esophageal ablations lasting 12 minutes. They were sacrificed immediately. In-vivo: ablated sizes showed significant correlation with target temperatures (r>0.04; p<0.05). Although most lesions were fusiform, dumbbell-shaped lesions with central thinning were found in two cases in the 70 .deg. C group. In all cases in the 70 .deg. C and 80 .deg. C group, the length of the insulated segment was less than 1cm. In-vivo: at microscopy, tissues at the center of the biliary stent showed more prominent pathological change than those at the periphery while those remote from the stent showed minimal or no change. In esophageal ablations, the mean highest temperature was 48.6 .deg. C. Microscopy demonstrated the destruction and shedding of mucosa, edema, and coagulation necrosis of submucosa, but in muscle layers no abnormalities were apparent. Transluminal radio-frequency thermal ablation using a stent-type electrode may be useful for elongating patency. The appropriate target temperature for biliary ablation is 80 .deg. C.

Traditional surgical management of acute diverticulitis with abscess may require a one-, two-, or three-stage procedure. Because of recent interest in CT diagnosis of diverticulitis, and novel access routes for interventional drainage of deep pelvic abscesses, the authors investigated the potential for converting complex two- and three-stage surgical procedures to simpler, safer one-stage colon resections by percutaneous drainage of the associated abscess. Of 23 patients with acute perforated diverticulitis who were referred for catheter drainage under radiologic guidance, successful catheter drainage and subsequent single-stage colon resection were carried out in 15. In three patients catheter drainage was unsuccessful and a multistage procedure was required. In three patients only percutaneous drainage was performed and operative intervention was omitted entirely

PurposeVarious methods have been used to sample biliary strictures, including percutaneous fine-needle aspiration biopsy, intraluminal biliary washings, and cytological analysis of drained bile. However, none of these methods has proven to be particularly sensitive in the diagnosis of biliary tract malignancy. We report improved diagnostic accuracy using a modified technique for percutaneoustransluminal biopsy in patients with this disease.Materials and MethodsFifty-two patients with obstructive jaundice due to a biliary stricture underwent transluminal forceps biopsy with a modified “cross and push” technique with the use of a flexible biopsy forceps kit commonly used for cardiac biopsies. The modification entailed crossing the stricture with a 0.038-in. wire leading all the way down into the duodenum. A standard or long sheath was subsequently advanced up to the stricture over the wire. A Cook 5.2-Fr biopsy forceps was introduced alongside the wire and the cup was opened upon exiting the sheath. With the biopsy forceps open, within the stricture the sheath was used to push and advance the biopsy cup into the stricture before the cup was closed and the sample obtained. The data were analysed retrospectively.ResultsWe report the outcomes of this modified technique used on 52 consecutive patients with obstructive jaundice secondary to a biliary stricture. The sensitivity and accuracy were 93.3 and 94.2 %, respectively. There was one procedure-related late complication.ConclusionWe propose that the modified “cross and push” technique is a feasible, safe, and more accurate option over the standard technique for sampling strictures of the biliary tree.

PurposeVarious methods have been used to sample biliary strictures, including percutaneous fine-needle aspiration biopsy, intraluminal biliary washings, and cytological analysis of drained bile. However, none of these methods has proven to be particularly sensitive in the diagnosis of biliary tract malignancy. We report improved diagnostic accuracy using a modified technique for percutaneoustransluminal biopsy in patients with this disease.Materials and MethodsFifty-two patients with obstructive jaundice due to a biliary stricture underwent transluminal forceps biopsy with a modified “cross and push” technique with the use of a flexible biopsy forceps kit commonly used for cardiac biopsies. The modification entailed crossing the stricture with a 0.038-in. wire leading all the way down into the duodenum. A standard or long sheath was subsequently advanced up to the stricture over the wire. A Cook 5.2-Fr biopsy forceps was introduced alongside the wire and the cup was opened upon exiting the sheath. With the biopsy forceps open, within the stricture the sheath was used to push and advance the biopsy cup into the stricture before the cup was closed and the sample obtained. The data were analysed retrospectively.ResultsWe report the outcomes of this modified technique used on 52 consecutive patients with obstructive jaundice secondary to a biliary stricture. The sensitivity and accuracy were 93.3 and 94.2 %, respectively. There was one procedure-related late complication.ConclusionWe propose that the modified “cross and push” technique is a feasible, safe, and more accurate option over the standard technique for sampling strictures of the biliary tree

From March 87 to March 92, fifty eight patients were referred to our department for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). The modality of the feeding tube insertion is described. The most common indications for placement were neurologic disorders in 62% of the cases (n = 36) and malignant diseases in 32% (n = 19). The success rate of the technique was 98.3% (n = 57). No procedure-related mortality was observed. A low rate of major complication (1.7%) and minor complication (10.5%) was noted. Feeding tubes were removed in 21% of patients (n = 12); none of them with malignant disease. Survival curve analysis demonstrated that 50% of patients died within 3 months of PEG placement. Such results raise questions about the selection of patients undergoing PEG. Our experience of patients undergoing PEG. Our experience suggests that PEG is easy and safe, even in debilitated patients, having an acceptable life expectancy.

Full Text Available The surgical management of pediatric stone disease has evolved significantly over the last three decades. Prior to the introduction of shockwave lithotripsy (SWL in the 1980s, open lithotomy was the lone therapy for children with upper tract calculi. Since then, SWL has been the procedure of choice in most pediatric centers for children with large renal calculi. While other therapies such as percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL were also being advanced around the same time, PNL was generally seen as a suitable therapy in adults because of the concerns for damage in the developing kidney. However, recent advances in endoscopic instrumentation and renal access techniques have led to an increase in its use in the pediatric population, particularly in those children with large upper tract stones. This paper is a review of the literature focusing on the indications, techniques, results, and complications of PNL in children with renal calculi.

To assess the role of percutaneous cholecystostomy as a therapeutic maneuver in patients critically ill with acute cholecystitis in community hospitals. Eighteen patients, 11 with suspected acute calculous cholecystits and seven with acute acalulous cholecystitis underwent emergency percutaneous cholecystostomy. All demonstrated a variety of high risk factors for cholecystectomy:liver cirrhosis(n=3D2), diabetes mellitus(n=3D3), cardiac disease(n=3D3), underlying malignancy(n=3D2), pulmonary dysfunction(n=3D1), septic cholangitis(n=3D5), and old age(n=3D2). All percutaneous cholecystostomies were performed with ultrasound guidance and preferably using the transhepatic route. All procedures but one were successful, and most cholecystostomies were performed within 5-20 minutes. Technical problems were as follows: guide-wire buckling during catheter insertion(n=3D2) and procedure failure(n=3D1). The only major problem was a case of localized bile peritonitis due to procedural failure, but a few minor complications were encountered:catheter dislodgment(n=3D3), and significant abdominal pain during the procedure(2). After successful cholecystostomy, a dramatic improvement in clinical condition was observed in 16 of 17 patients(94%) within 48 hours. Ten of 16 patients who responded to percutaneous cholecystostomy underwent elective cholecystectomy after the improvement of clinical symptoms, and the remaining six patients improved without other gallbladder interventions. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is not only an effective procedure for acute cholecystitis, but also has a definite role in the management of these high-risk patients in community hospitals.=20

To assess the role of percutaneous cholecystostomy as a therapeutic maneuver in patients critically ill with acute cholecystitis in community hospitals. Eighteen patients, 11 with suspected acute calculous cholecystits and seven with acute acalulous cholecystitis underwent emergency percutaneous cholecystostomy. All demonstrated a variety of high risk factors for cholecystectomy:liver cirrhosis(n=3D2), diabetes mellitus(n=3D3), cardiac disease(n=3D3), underlying malignancy(n=3D2), pulmonary dysfunction(n=3D1), septic cholangitis(n=3D5), and old age(n=3D2). All percutaneous cholecystostomies were performed with ultrasound guidance and preferably using the transhepatic route. All procedures but one were successful, and most cholecystostomies were performed within 5-20 minutes. Technical problems were as follows: guide-wire buckling during catheter insertion(n=3D2) and procedure failure(n=3D1). The only major problem was a case of localized bile peritonitis due to procedural failure, but a few minor complications were encountered:catheter dislodgment(n=3D3), and significant abdominal pain during the procedure(2). After successful cholecystostomy, a dramatic improvement in clinical condition was observed in 16 of 17 patients(94%) within 48 hours. Ten of 16 patients who responded to percutaneous cholecystostomy underwent elective cholecystectomy after the improvement of clinical symptoms, and the remaining six patients improved without other gallbladder interventions. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is not only an effective procedure for acute cholecystitis, but also has a definite role in the management of these high-risk patients in community hospitals.=20.

Objective: To assess the implementation of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in renal stone management and evaluate the factors for efficacy and safety of PCNL. Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from January 2008 to December 2011. Methodology: Patients aged above 12 years of age, irrespective of gender with normal renal function, mean stone size > 2 cm, lower pole stones > 1 cm, and ESWL failure were selected. After the procedure, on the first postoperative day, a plain abdominal radiograph was obtained to verify stone clearance. A nephrostomy tube was clamped overnight and subsequently removed when no residual stone which needs second sitting was seen. Results: In 175 patients, 62.86% (n=110) were male and the mean age was 35 A +- 9.56 years. One hundred and seventeen (66.85%) patients were primarily stone free and 13.71% (n=24) patients needed a second look procedure, thus, a total of 80.57% (n=141) patients were stone free in the same admission. Complications included failure in 4.0% (n=7) patients, bleeding in 8.57% (n=15) patients, a small residual stone in 15.43% (n=27) patients; and puncture site pain almost in every patient. Transient fever occurred in 55.43% (n=97) patients, urinary leakage in 8.57% (n=15) patients, urinary tract infections in 5.14% (n=9) patients, ureteric colic in 3.43% (n=6) patients, colonic injury in 0.57% (n=1) patient; and nephrectomy was required in 0.57% (n=1) patient due to severe bleeding. One patient (0.57%) expired due to anaesthesia complications. Conclusion: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has a good success rate. There is minimal blood loss, and few major complications. (author)

Treatment of large renal stones has changed considerably in recent years. The increasing prevalence of nephrolithiasis has mandated that urologists perform more surgeries for large renal calculi than before, and this has been met with improvements in percutaneous stone surgery. In this review paper, we examine recent developments in percutaneous stone surgery, including advances in diagnosis and preoperative planning, renal access, patient position, tract dilation, nephroscopes, lithotripsy, ...

Treatment of large renal stones has changed considerably in recent years. The increasing prevalence of nephrolithiasis has mandated that urologists perform more surgeries for large renal calculi than before, and this has been met with improvements in percutaneous stone surgery. In this review paper, we examine recent developments in percutaneous stone surgery, including advances in diagnosis and preoperative planning, renal access, patient position, tract dilation, nephroscopes, lithotripsy, exit strategies, and post-operative antibiotic prophylaxis.

Full Text Available The article deals with a scheme for the modern vine route in Bulgaria. Five basic vine routes and one international, between Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece are defined. All routes consider characteristic varieties of grapes and kinds of vine products. Vine tourist products combined with visits of important natural and anthropological object are in the bases of the defined routes. The described routes are an important contribution to development of alternative tourist products in the country.

Background and Objectives: Bowel distention from luminal gas insufflation reduces the peritoneal operative domain during natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) procedures, increases the risk for iatrogenic injury, and leads to postoperative patient discomfort. Methods: A prototype duodenal occlusion device was placed in the duodenum before NOTES in 28 female pigs. The occlusion balloon was inflated and left in place during the procedure, and small bowel distension was subject...

To evaluate the technical feasibility and clinical efficacy of percutaneous common bile duct stone extraction via cystic duct after percutaneous cholecystostomy. Twenty-five consecutive patients with choledocholithiasis underwent percutaneous stone extraction under conscious sedation. The stones were extracted through the 12-Fr sheath using Wittich nitinol stone basket under fluoroscopic guidance via cystic duct after percutaneous trnas-hepatic cholecystostomy. Common bile duct stones were successfully removed in 22 of the 25 patients (88%) by this new technique. The causes of failure in three patients were bile leakage, hematoma of the gallbladder and failure of cystic duct cannulation. Cystic duct injury during this procedure did not occur and there was no post-procedure mortality. The mean period of indwelling catheter was 8.7±4.6 days and the mean duration of hospitalization was 13.4±5.9 days. Percutaneous commmon bile duct stone extraction via the cystic duct through percutaneous cholecystostomy route is effective and feasible for treating choledocholithiasis.

This book provides a comprehensive guide to selected topics, both ongoing and emerging, in routing in OppNets. The book is edited by worldwide technical leaders, prolific researchers and outstanding academics, Dr. Isaac Woungang and co-editors, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Dhurandher, Prof. Alagan Anpalagan and Prof. Athanasios Vasilakos. Consisting of contributions from well known and high profile researchers and scientists in their respective specialties, the main topics that are covered in this book include mobility and routing, social-aware routing, context-based routing, energy-aware routing, incentive-aware routing, stochastic routing, modeling of intermittent connectivity, in both infrastructure and infrastructure-less OppNets. Key Features: Discusses existing and emerging techniques for routing in infrastructure and infrastructure-less OppNets. Provides a unified covering of otherwise disperse selected topics on routing in infrastructure and infrastructure-less OppNets. Includes a set of PowerPoint slides and g...

Jun 3, 2016 ... Calculus;. Duodenum;. Injury;. Paediatric;. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Abstract. Introduction: Colonic perforations are known complications of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). However, to the best of our knowledge, small bowel perforation has rarely been reported.. Observation: We report the ...

We describe our technique of percutaneous suprapubic catheter insertion with special reference to steps that help to avoid common complications of haematuria and catheter misplacement. The procedure is performed using a stainless steel reusable trocar under local infiltrative anaesthesia, usually at the bedside. After clinical confirmation of a full bladder, the trocar is advanced into the bladder through a skin incision. Once the bladder is entered, the obturator is removed and the assistant inserts a Foley catheter followed by rapid balloon inflation. Slight traction is applied to the catheter for about five minutes. Patients with previous lower abdominal surgery, an inadequately distended bladder or acute pelvic trauma do not undergo suprapubic catheterisation using this method. The procedure was performed in 72 men (mean age: 42.4 years, range: 18-78 years) with urinary retention with a palpable bladder. The average duration of the procedure was less than five minutes. No complications were noted in any of the patients. Trocar suprapubic catheter insertion is a safe and effective bedside procedure for emergency bladder drainage and can be performed by resident surgeons. The common complications associated with the procedure can be avoided with a few careful steps.

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a novel technique in minimally invasive surgery whereby a flexible endoscope is inserted via a natural orifice to gain access to the abdominal cavity, leaving no external scars. This innovative use of flexible endoscopy creates many new challenges and is associated with a steep learning curve for clinicians. We developed NOViSE-the first force-feedback-enabled virtual reality simulator for NOTES training supporting a flexible endoscope. The haptic device is custom-built, and the behaviour of the virtual flexible endoscope is based on an established theoretical framework-the Cosserat theory of elastic rods. We present the application of NOViSE to the simulation of a hybrid trans-gastric cholecystectomy procedure. Preliminary results of face, content and construct validation have previously shown that NOViSE delivers the required level of realism for training of endoscopic manipulation skills specific to NOTES. VR simulation of NOTES procedures can contribute to surgical training and improve the educational experience without putting patients at risk, raising ethical issues or requiring expensive animal or cadaver facilities. In the context of an experimental technique, NOViSE could potentially facilitate NOTES development and contribute to its wider use by keeping practitioners up to date with this novel surgical technique. NOViSE is a first prototype, and the initial results indicate that it provides promising foundations for further development.

The possibility to operate inside the peritoneal cavity through small holes performed in hollow organs that is presented by Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) represents a major paradigm shift in general surgery. While this new approach seems very appealing from patients' perspectives because it eliminates completely abdominal wall aggression and promises to reduce postoperative pain, it is very challenging for surgeons because of the major constraints imposed by both the mode of access and the limited technology currently available. For this reason NOTES applications at the present time are performed by only a few surgeons and mainly to perform non-complex procedures. While new devices are under development, many of them are trying mainly to simply improve current endoscopic platforms and seem not to offer breakthrough solutions. The numerous challenges introduced by natural orifice approaches require a radical shift in the conception of new technologies in order to make this emerging operative access safe and reproducible. The convergence of several enabling technologies in the field of miniaturization, communication and micro-mechatronics brings the possibility to realize on a large scale the revolutionary concept of miniature in vivo co-operative robots. These robots provide vision and task assistance without the constraints of the entry incision and have been shown in experimental settings to possess many qualities that could be ideal to partner with Natural Orifice Surgery. This article explores the current status of microrobotics as well as presents potential future scenarios of their applications in NOTES.

To review the complications encountered in our facility and in previously published studies of transvaginal (TV) natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) to date. TV NOTES is currently observed with critical eyes from the surgical community, despite encouraging data to suggest improved short-term recovery and pain. All TV NOTES procedures performed in female patients between 18 and 65 years of age were included. The median follow-up was 90 days. The TV appendectomies and ventral hernia repairs were pure NOTES, through a SILS port in the vagina, whereas TV cholecystectomies were hybrid procedures with the addition of a 5-mm port in the umbilicus. A total of 102 TV NOTES procedures, including 72 TV cholecystectomies, 24 TV appendectomies, and 6 TV ventral hernia repairs, were performed. The average age was 37 years old and body mass index was 29 kg/m. Three major and 7 minor complications occurred. The first major complication was a rectal injury during a TV access port insertion. The second major complication was an omental vessel bleed after a TV cholecystectomy. The third complication was an intra-abdominal abscess after a TV appendectomy. Seven minor complications were urinary retention (4), transient brachial plexus injury, dislodgement of an intrauterine device, and vaginal granulation tissue. As techniques in TV surgery are adopted, inevitably, complications may occur due to the inherent learning curve. Laparoscopic instruments, although adaptable to TV approaches, have yet to be optimized. A high index of suspicion is necessary to identify complications and optimize outcomes for patients.

Lung abscess was successfully treated with percutaneous drainage in 5 of 6 patients. Complete abscess resolution occurred in 4 patients, partial resolution in one, and no response in one. The duration of drainage ranged from 7 to 18 days (mean 15.5 days) in successful cases. The failure of drainage in one neurologicall impaired patient was attributed to persistent aspiration. In 2 patients, concurrent pleural empyema was also cured. CT provided the anatomic details necessary for choosing the puncture site and avoiding puncture of the lung parenchyma. Percutaneous catheter drainage is a safe and effective method for treating lung abscess. (orig.).

Medical treatment using antibiotics and postural drainage has been widely adopted as a treatment method of pulmonary abscess, accompanied by surgical methods in cases intractable to drug therapy. However long-term therapy may be required, and the tolerance of organisms to antibiotics or other complications are apt to be encountered, during medical treatment. To shorten the convalescent period or to decrease the risk of invasive procedures, rather simple and relatively easy interventional techniques such as transbronchial or percutaneous catheter drainage have been successfully tried. We have performed 12 cases of percutaneous drainages of lung abscesses under fluoroscope guidance. This report is on the results of this procedure.

Medical treatment using antibiotics and postural drainage has been widely adopted as a treatment method of pulmonary abscess, accompanied by surgical methods in cases intractable to drug therapy. However long-term therapy may be required, and the tolerance of organisms to antibiotics or other complications are apt to be encountered, during medical treatment. To shorten the convalescent period or to decrease the risk of invasive procedures, rather simple and relatively easy interventional techniques such as transbronchial or percutaneous catheter drainage have been successfully tried. We have performed 12 cases of percutaneous drainages of lung abscesses under fluoroscope guidance. This report is on the results of this procedure

Full Text Available Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES is a new form of minimally invasive surgery which eliminates traditional skin incisions by accessing internal body cavities through natural orifices. In our experimental animal study, we compared the incidences intraperitoneal abscess formation , culture swab of peritoneal cavity positive for organism, intraperitoneal adhesion formation and mean adhesion score before and after lavaging the portal of entry of albino rat , i.e. transgastric and transvaginal. On vaginal route as a portal of entry into peritoneal cavity , on the 7th day , 66% rats developed abscesses , 88% rats had culture swab positive and 88% rats developed intraperitoneal adhesion (grade - 2 before any cleansing of vaginal cavity with antiseptic solution . Now after lavage with povidone iodine solution, only 11% developed abscesses , 22% were peritoneal swab culture positive and 33% had interbowel and parietal adhesion of (grade 0 - 1. On 21 st day , the complication observed was adhesion formation in pre lavage group of 66% incidence and 16% after vaginal lavage. The incidence of complications were reduced significantly after lavage with antiseptic solution as shown by p values (p<0.01 for abscess formation, p< 0.01 for culture positivity and p< 0.01 for adhesions formation. Also the mean adhesion scoring was significantly reduced (p <0.02 after vaginal lavage on the 7 th day. Gastric route as the portal of entry into the peritoneal cavity, again the same variables were compared on the 7th and the 21st day , but wash was given with antibiotic solution (Cefazolin. On the 7th day , 44% had abscesses, 77% were culture positive and 66% had adhesions (Grade 1 - 2 before gastric lavage with antibiotic solution . After wash of stomach, 11% were culture positive and 44% developed adhesions (Grade 0 - 1. Here, abscess formation (p<0.02 and mean adhesion scoring (p<0.05 were significantly reduced after stomach wash. On the 21st day

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the total length of the stents and the postoperative life quality of patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Using the short-form health survey (SF-36) items, we analyzed the data on the postoperative life quality of 166 patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneoustransluminal coronary intervention in the Department of Cardiology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology from September 2011 to September 2013. Follow-up was performed 6 months later. All of the dimensionalities, except general health and mental health, showed significantly higher scores after PCI. No significant relationships were observed between the total length of the stents and the postoperative life quality of patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease who underwent PCI. PCI can effectively improve the postoperative life quality of patients; however, there was no significant relationship between the total length of the stents and postoperative life quality of patients.

Pursuant to the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) has promulgated a comprehensive set of regulations regarding the highway transportation of high-level radioactive materials. These regulations, under HM-164 and HM-164A, establish interstate highways as the preferred routes for the transportation of radioactive materials within and through the states. The regulations also provide a methodology by which a state may select alternative routes. First,the state must establish a ''state routing agency,'' defined as an entity authorized to use the state legal process to impose routing requirements on carriers of radioactive material (49 CFR 171.8). Once identified, the state routing agency must select routes in accordance with Large Quantity Shipments of Radioactive Materials or an equivalent routing analysis. Adjoining states and localities should be consulted on the impact of proposed alternative routes as a prerequisite of final route selection. Lastly, the states must provide written notice of DOT of any alternative route designation before the routes are deemed effective

Eighty biliary endoprostheses were introduced by the transhepatic route in sixty patients with obstructive jaundice. Complication rate was 21% (no mortality). Average survival time is sixteen weeks (maximum 53 weeks). In most patients, a 12 F teflon endoprosthesis was introduced four to five days after the initial catheter drainage. Patients in poor condition had a primary implant of a 9 F endoprosthesis. A combined transhepatic/transoral implantation was carried out five times. Results have shown that implantation of a prosthesis is as effective as a surgical bypass operation for palliation of obstructive jaundice and that it is better than catheter drainage. In-vitro experiments have indicated that failure of a 12 F prosthesis due to encrustation may be expected in about 23 weeks. This is in line with the survival time of patients with carcinomas. (orig.) [de

The fundamental technique of performing percutaneous cardiovascular (CV) interventions has remained unchanged and requires operators to wear heavy lead aprons to minimize exposure to ionizing radiation. Robotic technology is now being utilized in interventional cardiology partially as a direct result of the increasing appreciation of the long-term occupational hazards of the field. This review was undertaken to report the clinical outcomes of percutaneous robotic coronary and peripheral vascular interventions. Areas covered: A systematic literature review of percutaneous robotic CV interventions was undertaken. The safety and feasibility of percutaneous robotically-assisted CV interventions has been validated in simple to complex coronary disease, and iliofemoral disease. Studies have shown that robotically-assisted PCI significantly reduces operator exposure to harmful ionizing radiation without compromising procedural success or clinical efficacy. In addition to the operator benefits, robotically-assisted intervention has the potential for patient advantages by allowing more accurate lesion length measurement, precise stent placement and lower patient radiation exposure. However, further investigation is required to fully elucidate these potential benefits. Expert commentary: Incremental improvement in robotic technology and telecommunications would enable treatment of an even broader patient population, and potentially provide remote robotic PCI.

Objective: We review the indications of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PNL), its safety and efficacy when applied to various patient groups as well as the different points of technique, giving emphasis on new tips and ongoing debates. Methods: A literature search was performed using MEDLINE database

Aim: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of image-guided percutaneous splenic interventions as diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective review of our interventional records from July 2001 to June 2006. Ninety-five image-guided percutaneous splenic interventions were performed after informed consent in 89 patients: 64 men and 25 women who ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years (mean, 38.4 years) under ultrasound (n = 93) or CT (n = 2) guidance. The procedures performed were fine needle aspiration biopsy of focal splenic lesions (n = 78) and aspiration (n = 10) or percutaneous catheter drainage of a splenic abscess (n = 7). Results: Splenic fine needle aspiration biopsy was successful in 62 (83.78%) of 74 patients with benign lesions diagnosed in 43 (58.1%) and malignancy in 19 (25.67%) patients. The most common pathologies included tuberculosis (26 patients, 35.13%) and lymphoma (14 patients, 18.91%). Therapeutic aspiration or pigtail catheter drainage was successful in all (100%) patients. There were no major complications. Conclusions: Image-guided splenic fine needle aspiration biopsy is a safe and accurate technique that can provide a definitive diagnosis in most patients with focal lesions in the spleen. This study also suggests that image-guided percutaneous aspiration or catheter drainage of splenic abscesses is a safe and effective alternative to surgery

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) in patients with open-angle glaucoma. A retrospective chart review of adult patients who underwent GATT due to inadequately controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) or intolerance to medication. Main outcome measures were success rate, IOP, and number of glaucoma medications. Success was defined as IOP reduction >20% from baseline or IOP between 5 to 21 mm Hg, and no need for further glaucoma surgery. When success criteria were not met for any postoperative visit >3 months after surgery, failure was determined. In total, 66 patients, average age 62.9±14.9 years (50.8% female) were included in the analysis. Average follow-up was 11.9 months (range, 3 to 30 mo) and overall success rate was 63.0%. Mean IOP was 26.1±9.9 mm Hg preoperatively and 14.6±4.7 mm Hg at 12 months (44% IOP decrease; P<0.001). Mean number of medications decreased from 3.1±1.1 preoperatively to 1.2±0.9 at 12 months (P<0.001). No significant differences between patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and other types of glaucoma were found.The rate of hyphema at 1 week and 1 month postoperatively was 38% and 6%, respectively. Overall GATT success rate among white and black patients was 69% and 42%, respectively, which was statistically significant (P<0.05). The future of GATT as a minimally invasive glaucoma surgery in adults seems promising. This position is supported by its low rate of long-term complications and the conjunctiva-sparing nature of the surgery.

The purpose of this study was to provide 24-month follow-up on surgical success and safety of an ab interno circumferential 360-degree trabeculotomy. Chart review of patients who underwent a gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) procedure was performed by 4 of the authors (D.S.G., O.S., R.L.F., and D.G.G.). The surgery was performed in adults with various types of open-angle glaucoma with preoperative intraocular pressures (IOPs) of ≥18 mm Hg. In total, 198 patients aged 24 to 89 years underwent the GATT procedure with at least 18 months follow-up. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma had an average IOP decrease of 9.2 mm Hg at 24 months with an average decrease of 1.43 glaucoma medications. The mean percentage of IOP decrease in these primary open-angle glaucoma groups at 24 months was 37.3%. In secondary open-angle glaucoma, at 24 months there was an average decrease in IOP of 14.1 mm Hg on an average of 2.0 fewer medications. The mean percentage of IOP decrease in the secondary open-angle glaucoma groups at 24 months was 49.8%. The cumulative proportion of failure at 24 months ranged from 0.18 to 0.48, depending on the group. In all 6 study groups, at all 5 postoperative time points (3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mo) the mean IOP and reduction in glaucoma medications was significantly reduced from baseline (P<0.001) with the exception of one time point. The 24-month results demonstrate that GATT is relatively safe and effective in treating various forms of open-angle glaucoma. The long-term results for GATT are relatively equivalent to those previously reported for GATT and ab externo trabeculotomy studies.

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) represents a potentially less-invasive alternative to conventional or laparoscopic surgery. Our purpose was to develop a canine oophorectomy model for prospective evaluation of intraoperative complications, surgical stress, and postoperative pain and recovery with NOTES. Feasibility study. Academic preclinical research. Ten healthy female dogs. NOTES procedures were performed through gastric access with an electrocautery snare to resect and retrieve the ovaries. The gastrotomy was closed with prototype T-fasteners. Operative time; complications; postoperative pain scores, and nociceptive threshold; surgical stress markers (interleukin-6 [IL-6], C-reactive protein); systemic stress parameters (cortisol, glucose); necropsy evaluation at 10 to 14 days. The mean operative time was 154 minutes (SD +/- 58 minutes) and no animals died as a result of complications from the procedure. The primary difficulty was incomplete ovarian excision and conversion to an open procedure in 1 dog. Serum glucose concentrations increased after surgery and remained elevated for at least 36 hours. The serum cortisol concentration was transiently increased from baseline at 2 hours after surgery. The serum IL-6 concentration peaked at 2 hours after surgery and returned to the baseline value by 18 hours. The serum C-reactive protein concentration increased significantly from baseline, peaked at 12 hours after surgery, and then slowly declined toward baseline but remained elevated at 72 hours after surgery. Nociceptive threshold measurements indicated increased sensitivity to pain for 2 to 24 hours after surgery. At necropsy, surgical sites were healing uneventfully with no significant damage to surrounding organs, no significant growth on bacterial cultures, and no evidence of peritonitis. Small number of animals, single center. The NOTES approach to oophorectomy in dogs appears to be a reasonable alternative to traditional surgery

We present a patient with disseminated stomach cancer who presented with symptoms of acute obstruction of the splenic flexure of the colon caused by tumor spread. During a first attempt to insert a colon stent through the anus under endoscopic guidance as final palliative therapy, it was not possible to reach the region of the stricture, and iatrogenic perforation of the descending colon occurred, which resolved favorably under conservative management. A second attempt to insert a stent was made via percutaneous puncture of the transverse colon, approaching the region of the stricture by a descending route. The procedure was completed without complications and the patient's symptoms improved. Stent placement via percutaneous puncture of the colon has not previously been described in the literature. It may be an alternate route in cases of proximal strictures in which access through the anus has been unsuccessful even with the aid of endoscopic guidance

In recent years, percutaneous tracheostomy has become a routine practice in many hospitals. In the early publications, most authors considered adverse conditions such as short, fat neck or obesity as relative contraindications whereas cervical injury, coagulopathy, and emergency were regarded as absolute contraindications. More recently, several reports demonstrated the feasibility of percutaneous tracheostomy in patients with some of these contraindications. The aim of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of percutaneous tracheostomy in conditions commonly referred to as contraindications. Between June 2000 and July 2001, 157 consecutive percutaneous tracheostomy procedures were performed on 154 critically ill adult patients in the general intensive care unit of a major tertiary care facility. The Griggs technique and Portex set were used at the bedside. All procedures were performed by staff thoracic surgeons and anesthesiologists experienced with the technique. Anatomical conditions, presence of coagulopathy and anti-coagulation therapy, demographics, and complication rates were recorded. Five of 157 procedures (154 patients owing to three repeat tracheostomies) had complications. In patients with normal anatomical conditions and coagulation profiles, there was one case of bleeding (50 cc to 120 cc) and one case of mild cellulitis around the stoma. In patients with adverse conditions, there was one case of bleeding (50 cc to 120 cc) and two cases of minor bleeding (< 50 cc). Patients with adverse conditions had a low complication rate similar to patients with normal conditions. For this reason, we believe that percutaneous tracheostomy is indicated in patients with short, fat neck; inability to perform neck extension; enlarged isthmus of thyroid; previous tracheostomy; or coagulopathy and anti-coagulation therapy.

angioplasty. A total of 124 patients were treated; 31% were normotensive immediately after angioplasty, 59% had improved blood pressure control and 10% had unchanged hypertension. The corresponding figures after six months and at the latest follow-up were 13, 72 and 15%. Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Jan-21......The result of treatment of renovascular hypertension by renal angioplasty over a period of 13 years was analysed. Patients with a positive diagnostic work-up with renography or renal vein renin measurement had renal angiography performed and in cases of renal artery stenosis, transluminal...

The simplest measure for overcoming obstructive jaundice, and the one with the least complications, is percutaneous transhepatic bile duct drainage, which we have carried out on 38 patients. We have abandoned the catheter technique with combined external and internal drainage and instead use primary implantation of a bile duct prosthesis by the transhepatic route in cases of obstructive jaundice. The results are better, and the procedure is easier for the patient. Our experience with twelve implants in nine patients is described. (orig.) [de

Purpose: Balloon dilatation of coronary artery stenosis has become a standard treatment of atherosclerotic heart disease. Restenosis due to excessive intimal cell proliferation, which subsequently occurs in 20-50% of patients, represents one of the major clinical problems in contemporary cardiology, and no satisfactory method for its prevention has thus far been found. Because modest doses of radiation have proved effective in preventing certain types of abnormal cellular proliferation resulting from surgical trauma, and brachytherapy has already been used successfully after dilatation of peripheral arteries, development of a radioactive source suitable for coronary artery applications would be of great interest. Methods and Materials: Nonradioactive flexible yttrum-89 wires (diameter of 0.15 and 0.26 mm) were activated within the thermal neutron flux of an experimental reactor. Standard angioplasty balloons (2 cm long, 2.5 mm in diameter when inflated) were inserted for dosimetry into a specially manufactured tissue equivalent phantom. Four wells, drilled perpendicular to the axis of the balloon, allowed for the insertion of thermal luminescent dosimeters (TLDs; 2 mm of diameter) and spacers. The angioplasty balloon was inflated with air or with contrast media. Radioactive yttrium-90 wires were left in the central lumen of the balloon for 2 min. Doses at the surface of the balloon, and at 1, 2, and 3 mm were determined from TLD readings. Results: Doses obtained at the surface of the balloon, for a 2-min exposure for the 0.26 mm wire (balloon inflated with air) and the 0.15 mm wire (air or contrast), were 56.5 Gy, 17.8 Gy, 5.4 Gy, respectively. As expected for a beta emitter, the fall-off in dose as a function of depth was rapid. External irradiation from the beta source was negligible. Conclusions: Our experiments indicate that the dose rates attainable at the surface of the angioplasty balloon using this technique allow the doses necessary for the inhibition of intimal cell proliferation to be reached within a relatively short period of time. The thin yttrium-90 wires are very easy to handle, and their mechanical and radioactive properties are well suited to the requirements of the catheterization procedure

Full Text Available PCI for the treatment of CTO has made remarkable progress in recent years, and interventional cardiologists in Japan have made a great contribution to this progress. Innovative techniques, including the retrograde approach, are hot topics in the CTO field. The long-term prognosis after initial success is also attracting considerable attention. Strategies for treating CTO are continually evolving, and the author’s strategy also continues to change over time. The author’s strategy as of 2013 is described here.

We experienced a case of transient right-sided heart failure after angioplasty of membranous obstruction of the inferior vena cava confirmed by sonography and an inferior vena cavogram. Angioplasty involved the use of a self-expandable metallic stent, but after successful recanalization of the obstruction, the patient became dyspneic. Chest radiography revealed mild cardiomegaly with pulmonary congestion, but this was resolved spontaneously. For the prevention of serious heart failure, we recommend preprocedural evaluation of cardiac function. (author)

Full Text Available Local ablation therapy is considered as a conventional treatment option for patients with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Although radiofrequency (RF ablation is widely used for HCC, the use of cryoablation has been increasing as newer and safer cryoablation systems have developed. The thermodynamic mechanism of freezing and thawing used in cryoablation is the Joule-Thomson effect. Cryoablation destroys tissue via direct tissue destruction and vascular-related injury. A few recent comparative studies have shown that percutaneous cryoablation for HCCs is comparable to percutaneous RF ablation in terms of long term therapeutic outcomes and complications. Cryoablation has several advantages over RF ablation such as well visualization of iceball, no causation of severe pain, and lack of severe damage to great vessels and gallbladder. It is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of cryoablation compared with RF ablation for improvement of therapeutic efficacy and safety.

Tracheostomy is a common procedure. It can be done surgically or percutaneously by dilating the stoma using Seldinger technique. Percutaneous tracheostomy (PT) is now routinely performed by surgeons and non-surgeons such as intensivists and anesthesiologists in the intensive care units (ICU) all over the world. Although obesity, emergent tracheostomy, coagulopathy, inability to extend the neck and high ventilator demand (HVD) were initially thought to be a relative contraindication, recent data suggest safety of PT in these patient population. Ultrasound can be helpful in limited cases to identify the neck structure especially in patients with a difficult anatomy. Bronchoscopy during PT can shorten the duration and avoid complications. PT has favorable complication rate, lower infection rate, shorter procedural duration and is cost-effective. Experience with the technique and careful planning is needed to minimize any avoidable potential complication. PMID:29214070

To report on outcomes of gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) in eyes with prior incisional glaucoma surgery. A retrospective review was performed for all patients who underwent a GATT procedure with a history of prior incisional glaucoma surgery. Thirty-five eyes of 35 patients were treated. The mean age was 67.7 years. Nineteen eyes had a prior trabeculectomy, 13 eyes had a prior glaucoma drainage device, 4 eyes had a prior trabectome, and 5 eyes had prior endocyclophotocoagulation. Mean follow-up time was 22.7 months. For all eyes, the mean preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) (SD) was 25.7 (6.5) mm Hg on 3.2 (1.0) glaucoma medications and at 24 months, the mean IOP (SD) was 15.4 (4.9) mm Hg on 2.0 (1.4) glaucoma medications (P<0.001). The prior trabeculectomy group had a preoperative IOP (SD) of 24.6 (6.4) mm Hg on 3.2 (1.0) medications and at month 24, the mean IOP (SD) was 16.7 (5.6) mm Hg on 2.1 (1.4) glaucoma medications. In the prior glaucoma drainage device group, the mean preoperative IOP (SD) was 27.0 (7.1) mm Hg on 3.4 (1.1) glaucoma medications and at 24 months, the mean IOP (SD) was 12.9 (2.6) mm Hg on 2.1 (1.2) glaucoma medications. At 24 months, the cumulative proportion of failure was 0.4 and the cumulative proportion of reoperation was 0.29. GATT appears to be safe and successful in treating 60% to 70% of open-angle patients with prior incisional glaucoma surgery. When considering all eyes, there was a significant decrease in IOP and required glaucoma medications at 24 months. This surgery should be considered in certain patients with open angles who have failed a primary traditional glaucoma surgery.

A perspective study was carried out to assess the efficacy of a combination of percutaneous aspiration plus oral albendazole to assess its efficacy as an alternative to surgery in the treatment of hydatid cyst. We performed percutaneous aspiration followed by injection of 20% hypertonic saline solution into 16 hydatid cysts in 13 patients. All the patients received oral albendazole (400 mg/12 hours) starting 2 days before and lasting until there weeks after the procedure. There were no anaphylactic reactions during or after the procedure. Follow-up included monthly ultrasound over a period ranging between 10 and 36 months. Three cysts disappeared completely; in 10 cases, the cysts cavity was replaced by a complex ultrasonographic findings, with strong signals similar to those of a pseudotumor. In another case, the aspirate was sterile and its morphology remained unchanged. In two cases, infection of the cyst ensued, requiring surgical treatment. We consider that percutaneous aspiration in combination with albendazole may prove to be a good alternative to surgery for the management of hepatic hydatid disease. (Author) 15 refs

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the sophisticated cross sectional image techniques currently available, a number of biliary stenosis or obstructions remain of an uncertain nature. In these pathological conditions, an "intrinsic" parietal alteration is the cause of biliary obstruction and it is very difficult to differentiate benign from malignant lesions using cross-sectional imaging procedures alone. We evaluated the efficacy of different endoluminal techniques to achieve a definitive pathological diagnosis in these situations. Methods Eighty patients underwent brushing, and or biopsy of the biliary tree through an existing transhepatic biliary drainage route. A subcoort of 12 patients needed balloon-dilatation of the bile duct and the material covering the balloon surface was also sent for pathological examination (balloon surface sampling. Pathological results were compared with surgical findings or with long-term clinical and instrumental follow-ups. Success rates, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, confidential intervals, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the three percutaneous techniques in differentiating benign from malignant disease were assessed. The agreement coefficient of biopsy and brushing with final diagnosis was calculated using the Cohen's "K" value. Results Fifty-six patients had malignant strictures confirmed by surgery, histology, and by clinical follow-ups. Success rates of brushing, balloon surface sampling, and biopsy were 90.7, 100, and 100%, respectively. The comparative efficacy of brushing, balloon-surface sampling, and biopsy resulted as follows: sensitivity of 47.8, 87.5, and 92.1%, respectively; specificity of 100% for all the techniques; accuracy of 69.2, 91.7 and 93.6%, Positive Predictive Value of 100% for all the procedures and Negative Predictive Value of 55, 80, and 75%, respectively. Conclusions Percutaneous endoluminal biopsy is more accurate and sensitive than percutaneous bile duct

While surgical tracheotomies are currently performed using state-of-the-art operative techniques, percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is in a rapidly evolving state with regard to its technology and the number of techniques available. This has resulted in a range of new complications that are difficult to quantify on a scientific basis, given the fact that more than half of the patients who are tracheotomized in intensive care units die from their underlying disease. The new Tracheotomy Endoscope (TED) is designed to help prevent serious complications in dilatational tracheotomies and facilitate their management. The endoscope has been specifically adapted to meet the require-ments of percutaneous dilatational tracheotomies. It is fully compatible with all current techniques of PDT. The method is easy to learn. The percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy with the Tracheotomy Endoscope is a seven-step procedure: Advantages of the Tracheotomy Endoscope: Injuries to the posterior tracheal wall ar impossible (tracheoesophageal fistulas, pneumothorax). Minor bleeding sites on the tracheal mucosa can be controlled with a specially curved suction-coagulation tube introudeced through the Tracheotomy Endoscope. In cases with heavy bleeding and a risk of aspiration, the rigid indwelling Tracheotomy Endoscope provides a secure route for reintubating the patient with a cuffed endotracheal tube. It also allows for rapid conversion to an open surgical procedure if necessary. All the parts are easy to clean and are autoclavable. This type of endoscopically guided PDT creates an optimal link between the specialties of intensive care medicine and otorhinolaryngology. The Tracheotomy Endoscope (TED) increases the standard of safety in PDT.

Introduction: The present thesis ´On the use of abciximab in percutaneous coronary intervention´ is based on 6 papers concerning the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, abciximab. The thesis is divided into 2 sections. One section concerning a randomized trial comparing intracoronary (IC) with intra......Introduction: The present thesis ´On the use of abciximab in percutaneous coronary intervention´ is based on 6 papers concerning the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, abciximab. The thesis is divided into 2 sections. One section concerning a randomized trial comparing intracoronary (IC...... (ACS). Optimal administration route of abciximab. A randomized study Background: The glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, abciximab, is used as an adjuvant anti-platelet therapy in PCI-treated patients suffering from ACS. A subgroup of patients with ACS is those with STEMI treated with p...... confer an even more beneficial effect. Firstly, we searched the literature on the subject and found that no large-scaled randomized trials had been published. Most data were derived from small studies evaluating non-clinical endpoints or were of retrospective design. This overview is published...

Percutaneous vertebroplasty (pv) is a worldwide increasingly performed interventional therapeutic procedure. This article addresses indications, patient preparation, technical requirements and approach as well as possible complications of percutaneous vertebroplasty. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a technique consisting in an injection of bone cement into a vertebral body under imaging guidance. This procedure is performed to relief pain and support the mechanical stability in partially collapsed vertebral bodies. In the management of spinal compression fractures secondary to osteoporosis, myeloma, osteolytic metastases and aggressive hemangiomas, percutaneous vertebroplasty yields analgesic effect, and provides additional fortification in weakened segments of the vertebral column. Contraindications include major bleeding disorders, radicular pain and pain caused by compression of the myelon. Percutaneous vertebroplasty results in prompt pain relief and rapid rehabilitation. In experienced hands, using correct technique, pv is a safe and effective procedure for treating pain, caused either by osteoporotic or malignant vertebral compression fractures. (orig.) [de

Full text: Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) is an X-ray or US guided procedure that involves the injection of a contrast material directly into the bile ducts inside the liver to produce pictures of them. If a blockage or narrowing is found, additional procedures may be performed: 1. insertion of a catheter to drain excess bile out of the body or both - internal and external; 2. plastic endoprothesis placement; 3. self-expandable metal stents placement to help open bile ducts or to bypass an obstruction and allow fluids to drain. Current percutaneous biliary interventions include percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and biliary drainage to manage benign and malignant obstructions. Internal biliary stents are either plastic or metallic, and various types of each kind are available. Internal biliary stents have several advantages. An external tube can be uncomfortable and have a psychological disadvantage. An internal stent prevents the problems related to external catheters, for example, pericatheter leakage of bile and the need for daily flushing. The disadvantages include having to perform endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or new PTC procedures to obtain access in case of stent obstruction. Better patency rates are reported with metallic than with plastic stents in cases of malignant obstruction, though no effect on survival is noted. Plastic internal stents are the cheapest but reportedly prone to migration. Metallic stents are generally not used in the treatment of benign disease because studies have shown poor long-term patency rates. Limited applications may include the treatment of patients who are poor surgical candidates or of those in whom surgical treatment fails. Most postoperative strictures are treated surgically, though endoscopic and (less commonly) percutaneous placement of nonmetallic stents has increasingly been used in the past few years. Now there are some reports about use of biodegradable biliary

couple of decades. To deliver competitive service and price, transportation today needs to be cost effective. A company requiring for things to be shipped will aim at having the freight shipped as cheaply as possible while often satisfying certain time constraints. For the transportation company......, the effectiveness of the network is of importance aiming at satisfying as many costumer demands as possible at a low cost. Routing represent a path between locations such as an origin and destination for the object routed. Sometimes routing has a time dimension as well as the physical paths. This may...... set cost making the cost of the individual vehicle routes inter-dependant. Depending on the problem type, the size of the problems and time available for solving, different solution methods can be applicable. In this thesis both heuristic methods and several exact methods are investigated depending...

Class network routing is implemented in a network such as a computer network comprising a plurality of parallel compute processors at nodes thereof. Class network routing allows a compute processor to broadcast a message to a range (one or more) of other compute processors in the computer network, such as processors in a column or a row. Normally this type of operation requires a separate message to be sent to each processor. With class network routing pursuant to the invention, a single message is sufficient, which generally reduces the total number of messages in the network as well as the latency to do a broadcast. Class network routing is also applied to dense matrix inversion algorithms on distributed memory parallel supercomputers with hardware class function (multicast) capability. This is achieved by exploiting the fact that the communication patterns of dense matrix inversion can be served by hardware class functions, which results in faster execution times.

...), and file transfers (FTP) have been implemented. Onion routing provides application independent, real-time, and bi-directional anonymous connections that are resistant to both eavesdropping and traffic analysis...

To introduce a minimally invasive, ab interno approach to a circumferential 360-degree trabeculotomy and to report the preliminary results. Retrospective, noncomparative cases series. Eighty-five eyes of 85 consecutive patients who sought treatment at Glaucoma Associates of Texas with uncontrolled open-angle glaucoma and underwent gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) for whom there was at least 6 months of follow-up data. Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent GATT by 4 of the authors (D.S.G., D.G.G., O.S., R.L.F.) between October 2011 and October 2012. The surgery was performed in adults with various open-angle glaucomas. Intraocular pressure (IOP), glaucoma medications, visual acuity, and intraoperative as well as postoperative complications. Eighty-five patients with an age range of 24 to 88 years underwent GATT with at least 6 months of follow-up. In 57 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, the IOP decreased by 7.7 mmHg (standard deviation [SD], 6.2 mm Hg; 30.0% [SD, 22.7%]) with an average decrease in glaucoma medications of 0.9 (SD, 1.3) at 6 months. In this group, the IOP decreased by 11.1 mmHg (SD, 6.1 mmHg; 39.8% [SD, 16.0%]) with 1.1 fewer glaucoma medications at 12 months. In the secondary glaucoma group of 28 patients, IOP decreased by 17.2 mmHg (SD, 10.8 mmHg; 52.7% [SD, 15.8%]) with an average of 2.2 fewer glaucoma medications at 6 months. In this group, the IOP decreased by 19.9 mmHg (SD, 10.2 mmHg; 56.8% [SD, 17.4%]) with an average of 1.9 fewer medications (SD, 2.1) at 12 months. Treatment was considered to have failed in 9% (8/85) of patients because of the need for further glaucoma surgery. The cumulative proportion of failure at 1 year ranged from 0.1 to 0.32, depending on the group. Lens status or concurrent cataract surgery did not have a statistically significant effect on IOP in eyes that underwent GATT at either 6 or 12 months (P > 0.35). The most common complication was transient hyphema, seen in

The percutaneous absorption of diclofenac diethylammonium 1.16% (w/w) in a combination of emulsion cream and gel (Voltaren Emulgel) and of diclofenac sodium 1% (w/w) in a cream formulation (Voltaren cream) was investigated in guinea-pig, rabbit and man. The percutaneous absorption of diclofenac sodium in guinea-pig was 3 to 6% of the dose when the cream formulation in doses of 320, 100 or 40 mg was applied on 10 cm2 of occluded skin and left in place for 6 h. The transdermal delivery of 14C-labelled diclofenac yielded plateau plasma concentrations of radiotracer from 1.5 h after application until removal of the residual cream. Subsequently the steady state drug depots in the skin and muscle tissue were depleted promptly. During daily administration the steady state levels in the muscle tissue in proximity to the application site were about 3 times higher than in distant muscle tissue. By topical application on knee joints of rabbits diclofenac penetrated into the patellar ligament, the adipose corpus and the synovial fluid. In man the percutaneous absorption was 6% of the dose when the Emulgel formulation was spread by 5 mg/cm2 and left for 12 h on non-occluded skin. The pattern of metabolites of diclofenac in human urine was the same after topical and oral administration. In man, upon daily topical administration of 3 times 2.5 g cream formulation (10 mg/cm2) the diclofenac steady state plasma levels were 20 to 40 nmol/l.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Full Text Available Modeling a road network as a planar graph seems very natural. However, in studying continuum limits of such networks it is useful to take {\\em routes} rather than {\\em edges} as primitives. This article is intended to introduce the relevant (discrete setting notion of {\\em routed network} to graph theorists. We give a naive classification of all 71 topologically different such networks on 4 leaves, and pose a variety of challenging research questions.

Full Text Available The continuous innovations in technology, instrumentations, and techniques allow urologists to perform percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL with increasing efficacy. Although recent advances have facilitated the procedure, some steps are still challenging. A thorough review of the recent urologic literature was performed to identify these improvements in PCNL technique. The newer developments mainly focused on multimodal imaging techniques, miniaturisation of instruments, tracking and navigation systems during access to the stone, and robotic systems. Further studies are necessary to better define the benefits of these new fruitful developments which remain an active research field.

As the number of critically ill patients requiring tracheotomy for prolonged ventilation has increased, the demand for a procedural alternative to the surgical tracheostomy (ST) has also emerged. Since its introduction, percutaneous dilatational tracheostomies (PDT) have gained increasing popularity. The most commonly cited advantages are the ease of the familiar technique and the ability to perform the procedure at the bedside. It is now considered a viable alternative to (ST) in the intensive care unit. Evaluation of PDT procedural modifications will require evaluation in randomized clinical trials. Regardless of the PDT technique, meticulous preoperative and postoperative management are necessary to maintain the excellent safety record of PDT. PMID:16356203

The authors performed percutaneous drainage of lung abscesses in 12 patients. Indications for drainage were septicemia and persistence or worsening of radiographic findings. These lung abscesses were refractory to intravenous antibiotics and to bronchial toilet. Etiology of the abscesses included pneumonia (most frequently), trauma, postoperative development, infected necrotic neoplasm, and infected sequestration. Guidelines for drainage included passage of the catheter through contiguously abnormal lung and pleura, inability of the patient to cough, and/or bronchial obstruction precluding bronchial drainage. Cure was achieved in 11 of 12 patients. Catheters were removed on an average of 16 days after insertion. Antibiotics were administered an average of 18 days before drainage. No major complications occurred

Antegrade placement of ureteral stents has successfully achieved in 41 of 46 ureters. When it was difficult to advance ureteral stents through the lesion, it was facilitated by retrograde guide-wire snare technique through urethra. Complications associated with the procedure were non-function of ureteral stent by occlusion, upward migration,and spontaneous fracture of ureteral stent. These complications were managed by percutaneous nephrostomy and removal of ureteral stents by guide-wire snare technique and insertion of a new ureteral stent. While blood cell in urine was markedly increased in about 50% of patients following the procedure.

To report two cases with an acute vision loss due to intracapsular hemorrhage (hematoma) after an uncomplicated gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) combined with phacoemulsification surgery. Case report. Seventy-six-year-old male and 75-year-old female patients with cataract and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (XFG) uncontrolled with maximum medical therapy both underwent GATT combined with phacoemulsification. Shortly after the surgery, intracapsular hematoma behind the intraocular lens (IOL) were noted in both patients. Hematoma cleared in both of them via IOL extraction-anterior vitrectomy and YAG-laser capsulotomy, respectively. Hematoma cleared in both patients without any surgical complications. Vision loss due to unclearing intracapsular hematoma might be an early complication of combined GATT and phacoemulsification surgery.

Objective of this study is to provide an evidence-based analysis of the current status and future perspectives of scarless urological surgery. A PubMed search has been performed for all relevant urological literature regarding natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) and laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS). In addition, experience with LESS and NOTES at our own institution has been considered. All clinical and investigative reports for LESS and NOTES procedures in the urological literature have been considered. A wide variety of clinical procedures in urology have been successfully completed by using LESS techniques. Thus far, experience with NOTES has largely been investigational, although early clinical reports are emerging. Further development of instrumentation and platforms is necessary for both techniques to become more widely adopted throughout the urological community.

Background. The aim of the study was to determine efficacy and reliability of percutaneous abdominal drainage in surgical patients and to evaluate intercostal approach to drain subphrenic collections. Material and methods. Eighty-seven patients aged from 29 to 84 years (mean, 55.5 years) were percutaneously drained under the sonographic guidance due to the postoperative or nonoperated abdominal collection that would otherwise require laparotomy. Intercostal, subcostal, lateral and anterior approach with eight to 14 French catheters were used to evacuate abdominal collection. Results. The intercostal approach was used to drain 31 (60.8%) of 51 subphrenic collections. The mean duration of drainage was independent of the intercostal or subcostal drainage route, but was significantly prolonged (p<0.05, Mann-Whitney U test) for purulent collections (median, 18 days; range 7-73 days) in comparison to hematomas, bilomas and other nonpurulent collections (median, 11 and 6 days, respectively). Sonographically guided percutaneous drainage was a definitive method in 92% patients, with 9.2% minor complications. Successful rate for subphrenic collections was even greater (96%). Conclusions. Sonographically guided percutaneous drainage is the method of choice in the treatment of abdominal collections that require laparotomy. If the puncture site is at least two intercostal spaces lower than the dome of diaphragm and catheter is not introduced through the pleural effusion, intercostal drainage is equally efficient and not less secure than subcostal approach. (author)

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a technique still in experimental development whose safety and effectiveness call for assessment through clinical trials. In this paper we present a three-arm, noninferiority, prospective randomized clinical trial of 1 year duration comparing the vaginal and transumbilical approaches for transluminal endoscopic surgery with the conventional laparoscopic approach for elective cholecystectomy. Sixty female patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years who were eligible for elective cholecystectomy were randomized in a ratio of 1:1:1 to receive hybrid transvaginal NOTES (TV group), hybrid transumbilical NOTES (TU group) or conventional laparoscopy (CL group). The main study variable was parietal complications (wound infection, bleeding, and eventration). The analysis was by intention to treat, and losses were not replaced. Cholecystectomy was successfully performed on 94% of the patients. One patient in the TU group was reconverted to CL owing to difficulty in maneuvering the endoscope. After a minimum follow-up period of 1 year, no differences were noted in the rate of parietal complications. Postoperative pain, length of hospital stay, and time off from work were similar in the three groups. No patient developed dyspareunia. Surgical time was longer among cases in which a flexible endoscope was used (CL, 47.04 min; TV, 64.85 min; TU, 59.80 min). NOTES approaches using the flexible endoscope are not inferior in safety or effectiveness to conventional laparoscopy. The transumbilical approach with flexible endoscope is as effective and safe as the transvaginal approach and is a promising, single-incision approach.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Ancylostoma caninum third-stage larvae are the non-feeding infective stage of this parasite and are able to infect potential hosts via different infection routes. Since percutaneous infection is one of the most important routes and skin penetration is the first step into parasitic life, an existing in vitro model for percutaneous migration was modified and evaluated. The main parameter used to evaluate migration was the migration ratio (migrated larvae as a percentage of total number of larvae recovered. Additionally, the skin lag was calculated, expressing the percentage of larvae remaining in the skin and therefore not being recovered. Since initiation of feeding is proposed to be an important step in the transition from free-living to parasitic A. caninum larvae, feeding assays were performed with in vitro percutaneously migrated larvae. Additionally, infective larvae of A. caninum were activated via serum-stimulation and feeding behaviour was analysed and compared between percutaneously migrated and serum-stimulated larvae. Results Maximum skin migration levels of infective larvae were observed at temperatures above 32°C when larvae were placed on the epidermal side of skin for more than 12 hours. The medium beneath the skin had no effect on migration ratio, and no significant difference between the migration ratios through fresh and frozen/thawed skin was observed. Maximum feeding levels of 93.2% were observed for percutaneously migrated larvae after 48 h incubation, whereas serum-stimulated larvae reached the maximum of 91.0% feeding larvae after 24 h. Conclusions The PERL chamber system was optimised and standardised as an in vitro model for percutaneous migration. The larvae recovered after percutaneous migration showed characteristic signs of activation similar to that of serum-stimulated larvae. The observed difference in time course of resumption of feeding indicates that percutaneously migrated larvae are not

Purpose: We report a new minimally invasive technique of extraction of cement leakage following percutaneous vertebroplasty in adults. Methods: Seven adult patients (five women, two men; mean age: 81 years) treated for vertebral compression fractures by percutaneous vertebroplasty had cement leakage into perivertebral soft tissues along the needle route. Immediately after vertebroplasty, the procedure of extraction was performed under computed tomography (CT) and fluoroscopy guidance: a Chiba needle was first inserted using the same route as the vertebroplasty until contact was obtained with the cement fragment. This needle was then used as a guide for an 11-gauge Trocar t’am (Thiebaud, France). After needle withdrawal, a 13-gauge endoscopy clamp was inserted through the cannula to extract the cement fragments. The whole procedure was performed under local anesthesia. Results: In each patient, all cement fragments were withdrawn within 10 min, without complication. Conclusions: This report suggests that this CT- and fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous technique of extraction could reduce the rate of cement leakage-related complications.

Optimal treatment of carotid stenosis in patients not suitable for surgery is unclear. The Carotid and Vertebral Artery Transluminal Angioplasty study contained a trial comparing medical and endovascular treatment in patients not suitable for surgery.

Abstract Although percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is more accessible and less time-demanding compared with surgical tracheostomy (ST), it has its own limitations. We introduced a modified PDT technique and brought some surgical knowledge to the bedside to overcome some standard percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy relative contraindications. PDT uses a blind route of tracheal access that usually requires perioperational imaging guidance to protect accidental injuries. Moreover, there are contraindications in certain cases, limiting widespread PDT application. Different PDT modifications and devices have been represented to address the problem; however, these approaches are not generally popular among professionals due to limited accessibility and/or other reasons. We prospectively analyzed the double-blinded trial, patient and nurse head evaluating the complications, and collected data from 360 patients who underwent PDT, ST, or our modified mini-surgical PDT (msPDT, Hashemian method). These patients were divided into 2 groups—contraindicated to PDT—and randomization was done for msPDT or PDT in PDT-indicated group and msPDT or ST for PDT-contraindicated patients. The cases were compared in terms of pre and postoperational complications. Data analysis demonstrated that the mean value of procedural time was significantly lower in the msPDT group, either compared with the standard PDT or the ST group. Paratracheal insertion, intraprocedural hypoxemia, and bleeding were also significantly lower in the msPDT group compared with the standard PDT group. Other complications were not significantly different between msPDT and ST patients. The introduced msPDT represented a semiopen incision, other than blinded PDT route of tracheal access that allowed proceduralist to withdraw bronchoscopy and reduced the total time of procedure. Interestingly, the most important improvement was performing msPDT on PDT-contraindicated patients with the complication rate

Full Text Available Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES is an innovative approach in which a flexible endoscope enters the abdominal cavity via the transesophageal, transgastric, transcolonic, transvaginal or transvescical route, combining the technique of minimally invasive surgery with flexible endoscopy. Several groups have described different modifications by using flexible endoscopes with different levels of laparoscopic assistance. Transvaginal cholecystectomy (TVC consists in accessing the abdominal cavity through a posterior colpotomy and using the vaginal incision as a visual or operative port. An increasing interest has arisen around the TVC; nevertheless, the most common and highlighted concern is about the lack of specific instruments dedicated to the vaginal access route. TVC should be distinguished between “pure”, in which the entire operation is performed through the transvaginal route, and “hybrid”, in which the colpotomy represents only a support to introduce instruments and the operation is performed mainly by the classic transabdominal-introduced instruments. Although this new technique seems very appealing for patients, on the other hand it is very challenging for the surgeon because of the difficulties related to the mode of access, the limited technology currently available and the risk of complications related to the organ utilized for access. In this brief review all the most recent advancements in the field of TVC's techniques and instrumentations are listed and discussed.

Disclosed are a unified method and apparatus to classify, route, and process injected data packets into a network so as to belong to a plurality of logical networks, each implementing a specific flow of data on top of a common physical network. The method allows to locally identify collectives of packets for local processing, such as the computation of the sum, difference, maximum, minimum, or other logical operations among the identified packet collective. Packets are injected together with a class-attribute and an opcode attribute. Network routers, employing the described method, use the packet attributes to look-up the class-specific route information from a local route table, which contains the local incoming and outgoing directions as part of the specifically implemented global data flow of the particular virtual network.

This work presents a method for optimizing the itinerary of work over rigs, i.e., the search for the route of minimum total cost, and demonstrates the importance of the dynamics of reservoir behaviour. The total cost of a route includes the rig expenses (transport, assembly and operation), which are functions of time and distances, plus the losses of revenue in wells waiting for the rig, which are also dependent of time. A reservoir simulator is used to evaluate the monetary influence of the well shutdown on the present value of the production curve. Finally, search algorithms are employed to determine the route of minimal cost. The Simulated Annealing algorithm was also successful in optimizing the distribution of a list of wells among different work over rigs. The rational approach presented here is recommended for management teams as a standard procedure to define the priority of wells scheduled for work over. (author)

This book provides an introduction to opportunistic routing an emerging technology designed to improve the packet forwarding reliability, network capacity and energy efficiency of multihop wireless networks This book presents a comprehensive background to the technological challenges lying behind opportunistic routing. The authors cover many fundamental research issues for this new concept, including the basic principles, performance limit and performance improvement of opportunistic routing compared to traditional routing, energy efficiency and distributed opportunistic routing protocol desig

Since its introduction in late 1970's, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) has undergone an evolution in both equipment and technique. This evolution still continues today in the era of minimally invasive treatment options, and is evidenced by the numerous publications. PNL is generally advantageous...... in the management of large renal stones (>1.5-2 cm) with high stone-free rates and considerable complication rates. However this technique is especially competing with retrograde intrarenal surgery and laparoscopic techniques. Therefore the CROES Global PNL Study Group prospectively collected data of over 5800...... patients managed with PNL worldwide and analyzed the data in detail, producing more than 25 scientific papers. And this update focuses on the lessons learned from the CROES PCNL Global Study....

PCNL Global Study collected prospective data for consecutive patients who were treated with PCNL at centers around the world for 1 year. Complications were evaluated by the modified Clavien classification system. RESULTS: Of 5724 patients with Clavien scores, 1175 (20.5%) patients experienced one......PURPOSE: This study evaluated postoperative complications of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and the influence of selected factors on the risk of complications using the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) PCNL Global Study database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The CROES...... grade I. Two patients died in the postoperative period. The largest absolute increases in mean Clavien score were associated with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification IV (0.75) or III (0.34), anticoagulant medication use (0.29), positive microbiologic culture from...

A total of 6 pregnant women with obstructing urinary calculi was managed by percutaneous nephrostomy drainage placed under ultrasound guidance with the patient under local anesthesia. All patients initially had relief of acute obstruction. However, occlusion of the percutaneous nephrostomy tubes with debris necessitated tube changes in 5 of 6 patients. In 2 patients recurrent nephrostomy tube obstruction, fever and pain led to percutaneous stone removal during pregnancy. In the remaining 4 patients the nephrostomy tubes were left indwelling through delivery. During the postpartum period 3 patients successfully underwent ureteroscopic stone extraction and 1 passed the stone spontaneously. Bacteriuria developed in each patient despite the use of preventive antibiotics. All 6 women had uncomplicated vaginal deliveries of healthy newborns and are currently asymptomatic with no evidence of obstruction. Percutaneous drainage of an acutely obstructed kidney in a pregnant woman is an effective temporizing alternative to ureteral stent placement until definitive treatment can be performed.

Conclusion: Percutaneous management of the Lutembacher syndrome (PTMC and ASD device closure is an effective and low risk procedure and avoids considerable morbidity and mental trauma for the patients.

Feb 22, 2016 ... Patients' records were searched for the occurrence of colonic injury. Records were ... tion to opacify the system and the percutaneous renal access was .... identify the presence of a retrorenal colon, yet the rarity of such a.

Hydatic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus is an endemic disease and an important public health problem in some countries of the world. The results of surgical treatment are associated with a high rate of mortality, morbidity, postoperative recurrence and a long period of hospital stay and the medical treatment results are still controversial. Although the percutaneous aspiration and treatment of liver hydatid cysts were considered to be contraindicated due to risks of anaphylactic shock and dissemination of clear-crystal fluid into the abdomen, several reports of successful percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts have been published in the literature. Today, percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts is the most effective and reliable treatment procedure in the selected cases. In this review, indications, contraindications, method and techniques, healing criteria, complications, results and importance of the percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts are discussed.

Hydatic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus is an endemic disease and an important public health problem in some countries of the world. The results of surgical treatment are associated with a high rate of mortality, morbidity, postoperative recurrence and a long period of hospital stay and the medical treatment results are still controversial. Although the percutaneous aspiration and treatment of liver hydatid cysts were considered to be contraindicated due to risks of anaphylactic shock and dissemination of clear-crystal fluid into the abdomen, several reports of successful percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts have been published in the literature. Today, percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts is the most effective and reliable treatment procedure in the selected cases. In this review, indications, contraindications, method and techniques, healing criteria, complications, results and importance of the percutaneous treatment of liver hydatid cysts are discussed

. In order to predict the systemic risk of dermally absorbed chemicals and to enable agencies to set safety standards, data is needed on the rates of percutaneous penetration of important chemicals. Standardization of in vitro tests and comparison of their results with the in vivo data could produce...... internationally accepted penetration rates and/or absorption percentages very useful for regulatory toxicology. The work of the Percutaneous Penetration Subgroup of EC Dermal Exposure Network has been focussed on the standardization and validation of in vitro experiments, necessary to obtain internationally...... accepted penetration rates for regulatory purposes. The members of the Subgroup analyzed the guidelines on percutaneous penetration in vitro studies presented by various organizations and suggested a standardization of in vitro models for percutaneous penetration taking into account their individual...

precautions, training and reduction of long working hours are necessary in order to reduce infections from .... -4-. Incidences of percutaneous injuries and mucocutaneous blood exposure ... than 40 hours per week (14.9 %) (p= 0.001).

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE:The objective of our retrospective study was to provide evidence on the efficacy of the intercostal versus subcostal access route for percutaneous nephrolithotripsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 642 patients underwent nephrolithotomy or nephrolithotripsy from 1996 to 2005. A total of 127 had an intercostal access tract (11th or 12th; 515 had a subcostal access tract. RESULTS: Major complications included one pneumothorax (1.0%, one arterio-calyceal fistula (1.0% and three arteriovenous fistulae (2.7% for intercostal upper pole access; two pneumothoraces (1.7%, one arteriovenous fistula (1.0%, one pseudoaneurysm (1.0%, one ruptured uretero-pelvic junction (1.0%, 4 perforated ureters (3.4% for subcostal upper pole access; one hemothorax (1.6%, one colo-calyceal fistula (1.6%, one AV fistula (1.6%, and two perforated ureters (3.2% with subcostal interpolar access. Diffuse bleeding from the tract with a subcostal interpolar approach occurred 3.2% of the time compared with 2.4% with a lower pole approach. Staghorn calculi demonstrated similar rates of complications. CONCLUSION: Considering the advantages that the intercostal access route offers the surgeon, it is reasonable to recommend its use after proper pre-procedural assessment of the anatomy, and particularly the respiratory lung motion.

Direct percutaneous embolization of hypervascular tumors results in more effective preoperative devascularization. Migration of glue is a well known complication of direct glue injection and it may lead to stroke or cranial nerve deficits. We report here on a case of carotid body tumor in a 52-year-old man; the tumor was mainly embolized by percutaneous injection of 50% glue and this was supported with balloon protection of the internal carotid artery. Thirteen hours later, he developed hemiparesis from delayed migration of glue. The possible mechanisms of this migration are discussed and preventive measures are suggested. Preoperative embolization of hypervascular tumors of the head and neck, including carotid body tumor, is often performed to decrease the amount of blood loss during surgery. Devascularization is mainly performed with particulate agents and by employing the transarterial route. More effective embolization may be achieved by performing percutaneous direct embolization of hypervascular tumors with liquid embolic agents. Even though there are few reports available on direct embolization, complications from glue migration have been reported, and this mainly happens during the procedure when the glue is in a liquid state. We report here on a case of delayed migration of polymerized glue (n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate [NBCA]), many hours after the procedure, into the intracranial circulation and the final result was stroke. A 52-year-old male with right carotid body tumor underwent direct percutaneous glue (n-butylcyanoacrylate [NBCA]) embolization. Several hours later, he developed left hemiparesis from embolization of the polymerized glue cast. Migration of glue during percutaneous tumor embolization is presumed to occur only in the liquid state, which may lead to stroke or cranial nerve deficits. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of delayed glue embolization from a treated hypervascular tumor of the head and neck.

Full Text Available Sam J Lehman, Derek P ChewDepartment of Medicine, Flinders University, South Australia, AustraliaAbstract: Bivalirudin is a member of the direct thrombin inhibitor group of anticoagulants. It has been evaluated as an alternative to unfractionated and low-molecular-weight heparins in the settings of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI and acute coronary syndrome (ACS. Results of clinical trials to date suggest bivalirudin is a viable alternative to the use of a heparin combined with a glycoprotein (GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor in these settings. Thrombin has a central role in coagulation and platelet activation in ACS and during PCI. Its direct inhibition is an attractive target for therapy in these settings. Bivalirudin is a 20 amino acid polypeptide hirudin analog. It displays bivalent and reversible binding to the thrombin molecule, inhibiting its action. Direct inhibition of thrombin with bivalirudin has theoretical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic advantages over the indirect anticoagulants. A reduction in rates of bleeding without loss of anti-thrombotic efficacy has been a consistent finding across multiple clinical trials. There may be economic benefits to the use of bivalirudin if it permits a lower rate of use of the GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors. This article reviews the pharmacology of bivalirudin and clinical trial evidence to date. There are now data from multiple clinical trials and meta-analyses in the setting of ACS and PCI. Early results from the acute catheterization and urgent intervention strategy (ACUITY trial are discussed. Keywords: bivalirudin, direct thrombin inhibitor, acute coronary syndrome, percutaneous coronary intervention

The impact of endovascular revascularization of the lower extremity arteries with atherectomy (AT) compared with percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare long-term outcomes after percutaneous PTA and AT in patients requiring endovascular revascularization.Methods and Results:This was a single-center, retrospective registry of obstructive and symptomatic PAD patients who underwent endovascular revascularization. PTA was performed in 215 patients, and AT in 204 (Silver Hawk, EV3, n=125; CSI 360°, n=66; Pathway Medical Technologies, n=13). There were no significant between-group differences in baseline characteristics except for increased CAD, dialysis and CLI prevalence in the PTA group. Following propensity score analysis 131 well-matched pairs were included in analysis. Bail-out stenting was more frequent in the reference group (PTA, 6.1% vs. AT, 0%; P=0.004). At 6- and 12-month follow-up there were no differences in TLR between the groups (PTA, 8.3% vs. AT, 5.3%; P=0.47; and PTA, 16.7% vs. AT, 13.7%; P=0.73, respectively). The difference was in favor of AT at 24-month follow-up (PTA, 29.0% vs. AT, 16.7%; P=0.05). No difference was observed in amputation rate (PTA, 0.7% vs AT, 1.5%; P=0.62). On Kaplan-Meier analysis there were no significant differences between groups in time to TLR, amputation or death. AT was associated with lower risk of TLR, and this should be confirmed in randomized controlled trials.

28 primary liver abscesses, including 9 amoebic abscesses, in 24 patients were drained percutaneously. Indication for drainage in amoebic abscesses was imminent rupture and clinical symptoms as pleural effusion, lung atelectasis and pain. 95% of the primary abscesses were cured by percutaneous drainage and systemic antibiotic treatment. There was one recurrence of abscess, which was managed surgically. Reasons for drainage failure were: tumour necrosis and tumour perforation with secondary liver abscess.

Infective endocarditis (IE) following percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement (PPVR) with the Melody valve is rarely reported. Furthermore, there are challenges in this diagnosis; especially echocardiographic evidence of vegetation within the prosthesis may be difficult.......Infective endocarditis (IE) following percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement (PPVR) with the Melody valve is rarely reported. Furthermore, there are challenges in this diagnosis; especially echocardiographic evidence of vegetation within the prosthesis may be difficult....

Full Text Available A 65-year old African-American female presents with biliary ductal dilatation due to an obstructive pancreatic head mass. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram performed and biliary drainage catheter placement for decompression of the biliary system. The patient had a Whipple procedure performed several months later. On follow up CT imaging, there was interval development and enlargement of a subcutaneous lesion by the right oblique muscles. Biopsy of this lesion revealed pancreatic adenocarcinoma from percutaneous seeding of the transhepatic needle tract.

Full Text Available Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimal invasive procedure that is applied for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. During vertebroplasty, the leakage of bone cement outside the vertebral body leads to pulmonary cement embolism, which is a serious complication of this procedure. Here we report a 48-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea after percutaneous vertebroplasty and diagnosed as pulmonary cement embolism.

We present the Whirlpool Routing Protocol (WARP), which efficiently routes data to a node moving within a static mesh. The key insight in WARP\\'s design is that data traffic can use an existing routing gradient to efficiently probe the topology, repair the routing gradient, and communicate these repairs to nearby nodes. Using simulation, controlled testbeds, and real mobility experiments, we find that using the data plane for topology maintenance is highly effective due to the incremental nature of mobility updates. WARP leverages the fact that converging flows at a destination make the destination have the region of highest traffic. We provide a theoretical basis for WARP\\'s behavior, defining an "update area" in which the topology must adjust when a destination moves. As long as packets arrive at a destination before it moves outside of the update area, WARP can repair the topology using the data plane. Compared to existing protocols, such as DYMO and HYPER, WARP\\'s packet drop rate is up to 90% lower while sending up to 90% fewer packets.

With the success of percutaneous abdominal abscess drainage, attention is now being focused on the use of similar techniques in the thorax. We studied to evaluate the effect of percutaneous drainage in parenchymal fluid collections in the lungs. We performed percutaneous drainage of abscesses and other parenchymal fluid collections of the lungs in 15 patients. All of the procedures were performed under the fluoroscopic guidance with an 18-gauge Seldinger needle and coaxial technique with a 8-10F drainage catheter. Among 10 patients with lung abscess, 8 patients improved by percutaneous catheter drainage. In one patient, drainage was failed by the accidental withdrawal of the catheter before complete drainage. One patient died of sepsis 5 hours after the procedure. Among three patients with complicated bulla, successful drainage was done in two patients, but in the remaining patient, the procedure was failed. In one patient with intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst, the drainage was not successful due to the thick internal contents. In one patient with traumatic hematoma, after the drainage of old blood clots, the signs of infection disappeared. Overally, of 14 patients excluding one who died, 11 patients improved with percutaneous catheter drainage and three patients did not. There were no major complications during and after the procedure. We conclude that percutaneous catheter drainage is effective and safe procedure for the treatment of parenchymal fluid collections of the lung in patients unresponsive to the medical treatment

With the success of percutaneous abdominal abscess drainage, attention is now being focused on the use of similar techniques in the thorax. We studied to evaluate the effect of percutaneous drainage in parenchymal fluid collections in the lungs. We performed percutaneous drainage of abscesses and other parenchymal fluid collections of the lungs in 15 patients. All of the procedures were performed under the fluoroscopic guidance with an 18-gauge Seldinger needle and coaxial technique with a 8-10F drainage catheter. Among 10 patients with lung abscess, 8 patients improved by percutaneous catheter drainage. In one patient, drainage was failed by the accidental withdrawal of the catheter before complete drainage. One patient died of sepsis 5 hours after the procedure. Among three patients with complicated bulla, successful drainage was done in two patients, but in the remaining patient, the procedure was failed. In one patient with intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst, the drainage was not successful due to the thick internal contents. In one patient with traumatic hematoma, after the drainage of old blood clots, the signs of infection disappeared. Overally, of 14 patients excluding one who died, 11 patients improved with percutaneous catheter drainage and three patients did not. There were no major complications during and after the procedure. We conclude that percutaneous catheter drainage is effective and safe procedure for the treatment of parenchymal fluid collections of the lung in patients unresponsive to the medical treatment.

Full Text Available The robustness of immune responses to an antigen could be dictated by the route of vaccine inoculation. Traditional smallpox vaccines, essentially vaccinia virus strains, that were used in the eradication of smallpox were administered by percutaneous inoculation (skin scarification. The modified vaccinia virus Ankara is licensed as a smallpox vaccine in Europe and Canada and currently undergoing clinical development in the United States. MVA is also being investigated as a vector for the delivery of heterologous genes for prophylactic or therapeutic immunization. Since MVA is replication-deficient, MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines are often inoculated through the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes. Vaccine inoculation via the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes requires the use of injection needles, and an estimated 10 to 20% of the population of the United States has needle phobia. Following an observation in our laboratory that a replication-deficient recombinant vaccinia virus derived from the New York City Board of Health strain elicited protective immune responses in a mouse model upon inoculation by tail scarification, we investigated whether MVA and MVA recombinants can elicit protective responses following percutaneous administration in mouse models. Our data suggest that MVA administered by percutaneous inoculation, elicited vaccinia-specific antibody responses, and protected mice from lethal vaccinia virus challenge, at levels comparable to or better than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. High titers of specific neutralizing antibodies were elicited in mice inoculated with a recombinant MVA expressing the herpes simplex type 2 glycoprotein D after scarification. Similarly, a recombinant MVA expressing the hemagglutinin of attenuated influenza virus rgA/Viet Nam/1203/2004 (H5N1 elicited protective immune responses when administered at low doses by scarification. Taken together, our data suggest that

The robustness of immune responses to an antigen could be dictated by the route of vaccine inoculation. Traditional smallpox vaccines, essentially vaccinia virus strains, that were used in the eradication of smallpox were administered by percutaneous inoculation (skin scarification). The modified vaccinia virus Ankara is licensed as a smallpox vaccine in Europe and Canada and currently undergoing clinical development in the United States. MVA is also being investigated as a vector for the delivery of heterologous genes for prophylactic or therapeutic immunization. Since MVA is replication-deficient, MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines are often inoculated through the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes. Vaccine inoculation via the intramuscular, intradermal or subcutaneous routes requires the use of injection needles, and an estimated 10 to 20% of the population of the United States has needle phobia. Following an observation in our laboratory that a replication-deficient recombinant vaccinia virus derived from the New York City Board of Health strain elicited protective immune responses in a mouse model upon inoculation by tail scarification, we investigated whether MVA and MVA recombinants can elicit protective responses following percutaneous administration in mouse models. Our data suggest that MVA administered by percutaneous inoculation, elicited vaccinia-specific antibody responses, and protected mice from lethal vaccinia virus challenge, at levels comparable to or better than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. High titers of specific neutralizing antibodies were elicited in mice inoculated with a recombinant MVA expressing the herpes simplex type 2 glycoprotein D after scarification. Similarly, a recombinant MVA expressing the hemagglutinin of attenuated influenza virus rgA/Viet Nam/1203/2004 (H5N1) elicited protective immune responses when administered at low doses by scarification. Taken together, our data suggest that MVA and MVA

Purpose: To assess long-term outcomes following percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty (PTA) of congenital aortic coarctation in adults.Methods: Seventeen patients underwent PTA for symptomatic adult coarctation of the aorta. Sixteen patients, with a mean age of 28 years (range 15-60 years), were reviewed at a mean interval after angioplasty of 7.3 years (range 1.5-11 years). Assessment included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Doppler echocardiography, and clinical examination. Current clinical measurements were compared with pre- and immediate post-angioplasty measurements.Results: At follow-up 16 patients were alive and well. The patient not included in follow-up had undergone surgical repair and excision of the coarctation segment following PTA. Mean brachial systolic blood pressure for the group decreased from 174 mmHg before angioplasty to 130 mmHg at follow-up (p 0.0001). The mean gradient had fallen significantly from 50.9 to 17.8 at follow-up (p = 0.001). The average number of antihypertensive drugs required per patient decreased from 0.56 to 0.31 (p = 0.234). No significant residual stenoses or restenoses were seen at MRI. Small but clinically insignificant residual pressure gradients were recorded in all patients using Doppler echocardiography. Complications included one transient ischemic attack at 5 days, one external iliac dissection requiring stent insertion, and a further patient who developed a false aneurysm close to the coarctation site at 12 months which subsequently required surgical excision.Conclusion: PTA of adult coarctation is safe and effective in the long term. Although primary stenting has recently been advocated in the treatment of this condition, our results suggest that PTA remains the treatment of choice

British Dance: Black Routes re-examines the distinctive contributions made to British dance by dancers who are Black. Covering the period 1946 to the present, it presents a radical re-reading of dancers and their companies, placing their achievements within a broader historical, cultural and artistic context. The result of a two year research project, British Dance and the African Diaspora, led by editors Christy Adair and Ramsay Burt, the collection looks at artists working with contempor...

This paper summarizes the authors' experience with 130 radiologic percutaneous gastrostomies (PG) and percutaneous gastroenterostomies (PGE). Procedures were accomplished successfully in 127 of 130 candidates. One case was unsuccessful and two were unfeasible. Indications were for feeding, decompression, or both. Underlying diseases included neurologic disorders, head and neck and esophageal tumors, pelvic and abdominal malignancies, trauma, and a variety of other diseases. Various guidance systems, techniques, and catheters were used. Complications occurred in 8%, most being minor. Three patients were operated on after PG/PGE-two had peritonitis, one due to tube dislodgment. Difficulties were encountered at different portions of the procedure. During catheter insertion the following problems were most common: (1) the access route was difficult because of overlying colon, (2) inability to insert a nasogastric tube in patients with esophageal carcinoma or large head and neck tumors, (3) inability to keep the stomach distended in patients with increased motility and those with surgical gastroenterostomies (Billroth I or II), (4) high position of the residual stomach in patients with hemigastrectomy, (5) the presence of ascites or peritoneal tumor anterior to the stomach in patients with ovarian carcinoma, and (6) tenting or herniation of the anterior wall of the stomach during dilatation. Difficulties that were encountered following catheter insertion included (1) chemical peritonitis from leakage of gastric juices, (2) peritonities from leakage of gastric feedings, (3) leakage around the skin entry site in patients with ascites, (4) catheters backing out and forming an intraperitorial loop, (5) catheters kinking and becoming occluded, and (6) catheters being pulled out

Few studies are available to compare the potential benefits of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) approaches to traditional surgery. To compare complications, surgical stress, and postoperative pain. Prospective study in dogs. Research laboratory. Thirty dogs. Oophorectomy procedures were performed via NOTES and laparoscopic and traditional open surgery. Operative time, pain scores, systemic stress parameters (cortisol, glucose), surgical stress markers (interleukin 6, C-reactive protein), 3-day observation. Median operative times were 76, 44, and 35 minutes for the NOTES, laparoscopic, and open procedures, respectively, with the NOTES procedure being significantly longer than the other 2 procedures. All ovaries were completely excised, and all the animals survived without complications. The NOTES animals had greater increases in serum cortisol concentrations at 2 hours but no statistically significant differences in glucose concentrations compared with the other groups. Serum interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein concentrations were significantly increased at specific times compared with baseline in the NOTES group, but not in the open or laparoscopic surgery groups. Based on the cumulative pain score and nociceptive thresholds, the animals in the NOTES group demonstrated less evidence of pain. Small sample size, limited follow-up. Although the NOTES oophorectomy procedures took approximately twice as long and there may be more evidence of tissue damage as judged by increases in serum cortisol and interleukin 6 concentrations, the dogs in the NOTES group had lower pain scores, especially when compared with animals undergoing open surgery. Copyright 2010 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

This is one of the first books to deal specifically with imaging in percutaneous musculoskeletal interventions. The use of different imaging modalities during these procedures is well described. In the first chapter, the basic procedures and different guidance techniques are presented and discussed. The ensuing chapters describe in exhaustive detail the abilities and uses of imaging in guiding procedures ranging from biopsy and joint injection to management of pain and tumors. These procedures are extensively documented in adults as well as in the pediatric population. The third part of the book describes the different indications for vascular interventions in musculoskeletal lesions. The final chapter focuses on ultrasound-guided interventions, as they are more common and tend to be fashionable. The book is well illustrated with carefully chosen and technically excellent images. Each of the 18 chapters is written by an expert of international repute, making this book the most current and complete treatment of the subject available. It should be of great interest to interventional radiologists and also musculoskeletal and general radiologists. (orig.)

Brachymetacarpia is a condition manifesting a shortened metacarpal that is caused by early closure of the epiphyseal plate and believed to arise idiopathically. The correction for brachymetacarpia is usually for cosmetic reasons as brachymetacarpia does not impair function. The literature indicates several different approaches to lengthening digits, including single-stage lengthening and rapid distraction lengthening with a bone graft. However, gradual distraction is the preferred method due to excellent cosmetic outcomes and few postoperative complications. This article reports a case of brachymetacarpia treated with distraction lengthening using a minimally invasive, percutaneous approach. A 16-year-old girl presented with a shortened left ring finger and underwent surgery to correct the deformity. The left ring finger measured 12 mm shorter than her right ring finger; however, there was normal mobility at the joints. In the operating room, an external fixator was attached using 4 self-drilling, self-tapping pins through several 3-mm skin incisions. The total fixation time was 14 weeks; however, the achieved length of 12 mm was achieved 6 weeks postoperatively. The healing index of the fixation period was 81 days/cm. The postoperative course and fixation period were uneventful, with no complications except for 2 pin infections that were treated with oral antibiotics. The method of gradual distraction lengthening in this case successfully achieved the desired length and yielded an excellent cosmetic result. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Percutaneous tracheostomy is safe and highly effective in well-trained hands in establishing a long-term artificial airway. Most alleged contraindications and some suggestions on how the procedures should be performed likely stem from early trials when only "perfect candidates" were chosen. Most of those contraindications should not be viewed as prohibitions, but as suggestions related to the skill level and training of the operator. We have used this technique in many situations where the small incision and tamponading effect of the tracheostomy tube has been quite beneficial, in selected patients with coagulapathies and severe venous congestion from superior cava syndromes as well as thyroid cancers, and in whom operative approaches would have been difficult. Knowing one's level of expertise and comfort in choosing and rejecting patients and procedures accordingly is the key to keeping PT a procedure with an excellent safety record. As the experience with PT grows, more and more perceived contraindications will disappear. Studies will address the role of PT in children and as a means of establishing emergent airway access. Also, the exact coagulation limits will need to be established. Few contraindications will most likely remain absolute, such as active infections over the proposed entry site, uncontrollable bleeding disorders and excessive ventilatory and oxygenation requirements. In our institution, taking into account these absolute contraindications, fewer than 5% of patients in need of a tracheostomy in the intensive care unit will undergo a primary open procedure.

The natural history of unruptured cerebral aneurysm is not known; also unknown is the potential growth and rupture in any individual aneurysm. The authors have developed transluminal color-coded three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) obtained by a time-of-flight sequence to investigate the interaction between the intra-aneurysmal signal intensity distribution patterns and configuration of unruptured cerebral aneurysms. Transluminal color-coded images were reconstructed from volume data of source magnetic resonance angiography by using a parallel volume-rendering algorithm with transluminal imaging technique. By selecting a numerical threshold range from a signal intensity opacity chart of the three-dimensional volume-rendering dataset several areas of signal intensity were depicted, assigned different colors, and visualized transparently through the walls of parent arteries and an aneurysm. Patterns of signal intensity distribution were analyzed with three operated cases of an unruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm and compared with the actual configurations observed at microneurosurgery. A little difference in marginal features of an aneurysm was observed; however, transluminal color-coded images visualized the complex signal intensity distribution within an aneurysm in conjunction with aneurysmal geometry. Transluminal color-coded three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography can thus provide numerical analysis of the interaction between spatial signal intensity distribution patterns and aneurysmal configurations and may offer an alternative and practical method to investigate the patient-specific natural history of individual unruptured cerebral aneurysms. (orig.)

Airlines shape their route network by defining their routes through supply and demand considerations, paying little attention to network performance indicators, such as network robustness. However, the collapse of an airline network can produce high financial costs for the airline and all its geographical area of influence. The aim of this study is to analyze the topology and robustness of the network route of airlines following Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) and Full Service Carriers (FSCs) business models. Results show that FSC hubs are more central than LCC bases in their route network. As a result, LCC route networks are more robust than FSC networks.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous drainage of intraperitoneal abscesses with attention to recurrence and failure rates. A retrospective analysis of percutaneous treatment of 300 intraperitoneal abscesses in 255 patients (147 male, 108 female; average age: 38 years; range: 40 days to 90 years) for whom at least 1-year follow-up data were available was performed. Abscesses were drained with fluoroscopic, sonographic, or computed tomographic guidance. Nine abscesses were drained by simple aspiration; catheter drainage either by Seldinger or trocar technique was used in the remaining 291 abscesses with 6F to 14 F catheters. Initial cure and failure rates were 68% (203/300) and 12% (36/300), respectively. Sixty-one abscesses (20%) were either palliated or temporized. The recurrence rate was 4% (12/300) and nine of them were cured by recatheterization, whereas three of them were treated by medication or surgery. The overall success and failure rates were 91% (273/300) and 9% (27/300), respectively, with temporized, palliated, and recatheterized recurred abscesses. The 30-day mortality rate was 3.1% (8/255). The mean duration of catheterization was 13 days. Intraperitoneal abscesses with safe access routes should be drained percutaneously because of high success and low morbidity, mortality, and recurrence rates

Background The objective of this study is to investigate the outcomes and safety of using percutaneous anterior C1/2 transarticular screw fixation as a salvage technique for odontoid fracture if percutaneous odontoid screw fixation fails. Methods Fifteen in 108 odontoid fracture patients (planned to be treated by percutaneous anterior odontoid screw fixation) were failed to introduce satisfactory odontoid screw trajectory. To salvage this problem, we chose the percutaneous anterior C1/2 trans...

In the daily life, people often repeat regular routes in certain periods. In this paper, a mining system is developed to find the continuous route patterns of personal past trips. In order to count the diversity of personal moving status, the mining system employs the adaptive GPS data recording and five data filters to guarantee the clean trips data. The mining system uses a client/server architecture to protect personal privacy and to reduce the computational load. The server conducts the main mining procedure but with insufficient information to recover real personal routes. In order to improve the scalability of sequential pattern mining, a novel pattern mining algorithm, continuous route pattern mining (CRPM), is proposed. This algorithm can tolerate the different disturbances in real routes and extract the frequent patterns. Experimental results based on nine persons' trips show that CRPM can extract more than two times longer route patterns than the traditional route pattern mining algorithms.

Technical case report. The authors report a new percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) technique for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation via a contralateral approach. When there are highly down-migrated lumbar disc herniation along just medial to pedicle and narrow ipsilateral intervertebral foramen, the conventional PELD is not easily accessible via ipsilateral transforaminal route. Five patients manifested gluteal and leg pain because of a soft disc herniation at the L4-L5 level. Transforaminal PELD via a contralateral approach was performed to remove the herniated fragment, achieving complete decompression of the nerve root. The symptom was relieved and the patient was discharged the next day. When a conventional transforaminal PELD is difficult because of some anatomical reasons, PELD via a contralateral route could be a good alternative option in selected cases.

This article focuses on radiological imaging of complications after interventional percutaneous insertion of totally implantable venous access ports (TIVAPs) which were placed in the forearm. Thus far most reviews have dealt with pectorally-placed TIVAPs. Compared with the pectoral approach, implantation in the forearm has been associated with certain complications owing to a longer route of the port catheter within a smaller vein, and owing to the route across the elbow joint, resulting in higher rates of catheter-associated thrombosis and possible mechanical complications. The purpose of this review is to describe the complications after implantation of TIVAPs in the forearm, and to make radiologists familiar with the key findings of the complications during radiological imaging, including colour-coded and compression Duplex ultrasound, computed tomography, and digital subtraction venography.

Objective: To investigate the stiffness of lumbar spine after the injury caused by percutaneous diskectomy and evaluate the efficiency of percutaneous lumbar diskectomy by biomechanical study. Methods: Four fresh lumbar specimens were used to analyse load-displacement curves in the intact lumbar spine and vertical disc-injured lumbar spine. The concepts of average flexibility coefficient (f) and standardized average flexibility coefficient (fs) were also introduced. Results: The load-displacement curves showed a good stabilization effect of the intact lumbar spine and disc-injured lumbar spine in flexion, extension, right and left bending. The decrease of anti-rotation also can be detected (P<0.05). Conclusion: In biomechanical study, percutaneous lumbar diskectomy is one of the efficiency methods to treat lumbar diac hernia

During a four year period, ending May 1987, 154 cases of symptomatic staghorn calculi have been treated by percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Of these patients,86% were discharged completely stone free with the remainder having fragments less than 5 mm in greatest diameter. More than one operative procedure during the same hospitalizations was required in 24% of patients and multiple percutaneous tracts were established in excess of 73% of them. Significant complications occurred in 16% of patients and there was one death. Most complications can be generally by minimized by careful approach and manageable by interventional radiological means. The management of patients with staghorn calculi requires a comprehensive understanding of the renal anatomy, selection of appropriate percutaneous nephrostomy tract sites, and radiologic-urologic expertise needed to remove the large stone mass. The advent of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy will not abolish the need for nephrolithotomy, particularly complex stones such as staghorn calculi

PurposeThis study was designed o evaluate outcomes of percutaneous management of anastomotic ureteral strictures in renal transplants using nephroureteral stents with or without balloon dilatation.MethodsA retrospective audit of 1,029 consecutive renal transplants was performed. Anastomotic ureteral strictures were divided into two groups: nephroureteral stent only (NUS) and NUS+PTA (nephroureteral stent plus percutaneoustransluminal angioplasty), with each cohort subdivided into early versus late presentation (obstructive uropathy occurring <90 day or >90 days from transplant, respectively). Overall and 6-month technical success were defined as removal of NUS any time with <30 % residual stenosis (any time lapse less or more than 6 months) and at >6 months, respectively. Patency was evaluated from NUS removal to last follow-up for both groups and compared.ResultsSixty-seven transplant patients with 70 ureteric anastomotic strictures (6.8 %, n = 70/1,029) underwent 72 percutaneous treatments. 34 % were late (>90 days, n = 24/70), and 66 % were early (<90 days, n = 46/70). Overall technical success was 82 % (n = 59/72) and 6-month success was 58 % (n = 42/72). Major and minor complications were 2.8 % (n = 2/72), and 12.5 % (n = 9/72). NUS+PTA did not improve graft survival (p = 0.354) or patency (p = 0.9) compared with NUS alone. There was no difference in graft survival between treated and nontreated groups (p = 0.74).ConclusionsThere is no advantage to PTA in addition to placement of NUS, although PTA did not negatively impact graft survival or long-term patency and both interventions were safe and effective. Neither the late or early groups benefited from PTA in addition to NUS. Earlier obstructions showed greater improvement in serum creatinine than later obstructions.

Full Text Available Purpose: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG can improve nutritional status and reduce the amount of time needed to feed neurologically impaired children. We evaluated the characteristics, complications, and outcomes of neurologically impaired children treated with PEG. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 32 neurologically impaired children who underwent PEG between March 2002 and August 2008 at our medical center. Forty-two PEG procedures comprising 32 PEG insertions and 10 PEG exchanges, were performed. The mean follow-up time was 12.2 (6.6 months. Results: Mean patient age was 9.4 (4.5 years. The main indications for PEG insertion were swallowing difficulty with GI bleeding due to nasogastric tube placement and/or the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD. The overall rate of complications was 47%, with early complications evident in 25% of patients and late complications in 22%. The late complications included one gastro-colic fistula, two cases of aggravated GERD, and four instances of wound infection. Among the 15 patients with histological evidence of GERD before PEG, 13 (87% had less severe GERD, experienced no new aspiration events, and showed increased body weight after PEG treatment. Conclusion: PEG is a safe, effective, and relatively simple technique affording long-term enteral nutritional support in neurologically impaired children. Following PEG treatment, the body weight of most patients increased and the levels of vomiting, GI bleeding, and aspiration fell. We suggest that PEG with post-procedural observation be considered for enteral nutritional support of neurologically impaired children.

The present report describes a case of percutaneous cryotherapy in a 36-year-old woman with a large and painful pectoral venous malformation. Cryoablation was performed in a single session for this 9-cm mass with 24 h hospitalisation. At 2- and 6-month follow-up, the pain had completely disappeared, and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a significant decrease in size. Percutaneous cryoablation shows promise as a feasible and apparently safe method for local control in patients with symptomatic venous vascular malformations.

The present report describes a case of percutaneous cryotherapy in a 36-year-old woman with a large and painful pectoral venous malformation. Cryoablation was performed in a single session for this 9-cm mass with 24 h hospitalisation. At 2- and 6-month follow-up, the pain had completely disappeared, and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a significant decrease in size. Percutaneous cryoablation shows promise as a feasible and apparently safe method for local control in patients with symptomatic venous vascular malformations.

The results of CT/US-guided percutaneous drainage in 35 patients with pancreatic pseudocysts are reported. 27 patients recovered without surgery and no further treatment was required. 8 patients required a subsequent surgery due to recurrence. The role of CT/US-guided percutaneous drainage in pancreatic pseudocysts as well as an analysis of the technical aspects associated with a successful procedure are discussed. Although US may be used, we believe CT is safer and allows more precise localisation and guidance in the treatment of pseudocysts. (orig.) [de

AIM: To study the transcolonic extraction of the proximally resected colonic specimens by colonoscopic assistance at laparoscopic colonic surgery. METHODS: The diagnoses of our patients were Crohn’s disease, carcinoid of appendix and adenocarcinoma of cecum. We preferred laparoscopic total mesocolic resections. Colon and terminal ileum were divided with endoscopic staplers. A colonoscope was placed per anal and moved proximally in the colon till to reach the colonic closed end under the laparoscopic guidance. The stump of the colon was opened with laparoscopic scissors. A snare of colonoscope was released and the intraperitoneal complete free colonic specimen was grasped. Specimen was moved in to the colon with the help of the laparoscopic graspers and pulled gently through the large bowel and extracted through the anus. The open end of the colon was closed again and the ileal limb and the colon were anastomosed intracorporeally with a 60-mm laparoscopic stapler. The common enterotomy orifice was closed in two layers with a running intracorporeal suture. RESULTS: There were three patients with laparoscopic right-sided colonic resections and their specimens were intended to remove through the remnant colon by colonoscopy but the procedure failed in one patient (adenocarcinoma) due to a bulky mass and the specimen extraction was converted to transvaginal route. All the patients had prior abdominal surgeries and had related adhesions. The operating times were 210, 300 and 500 min. The lengths of the specimens were 13, 17 and 27 cm. In our cases, there were no superficial or deep surgical site infections or any other complications. The patients were discharged uneventfully within 4-5 d and they were asymptomatic after a mean 7.6 mo follow-up (ranged 4-12). As far as we know, there were only 12 cases reported yet on transcolonic extraction of the proximal colonic specimens by colonoscopic assistance after laparoscopic resections. With our cases, success rate of the

of the quality of one kind of location-based service, namely routing services. Specifically, the paper presents a framework that enables the comparison of the routes provided by routing services with the actual driving behaviors of local drivers. Comparisons include route length, travel time, and also route...... popularity, which are enabled by common driving behaviors found in available trajectory data. The ability to evaluate the quality of routing services enables service providers to improve the quality of their services and enables users to identify the services that best serve their needs. The paper covers......Mobile location-based services is a very successful class of services that are being used frequently by users with GPS-enabled mobile devices such as smartphones. This paper presents a study of how to exploit GPS trajectory data, which is available in increasing volumes, for the assessment...

To study the predictive value of transluminal attenuation gradient (TAG) derived from diastolic phase of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for identifying systolic compression of myocardial bridge (MB). Consecutive patients diagnosed with MB based on CCTA findings and without obstructive coronary artery disease were retrospectively enrolled. In total, 143 patients with 144 MBs were included in the study. Patients were classified into three groups: without systolic compression, with systolic compression < 50%, and with systolic compression ≥ 50%. TAG was defined as the linear regression coefficient between intraluminal attenuation in Hounsfield units (HU) and length from the vessel ostium. Other indices such as the length and depth of the MB were also recorded. TAG was the lowest in MB patients with systolic compression ≥ 50% (-19.9 ± 8.7 HU/10 mm). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cutoff values for identifying systolic compression ≥ 50%. The result indicated an optimal cutoff value of TAG as -18.8 HU/10 mm (area under curve = 0.778, p < 0.001), which yielded higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy (54.1, 80.5, 72.8, and 75.0%, respectively). In addition, the TAG of MB with diastolic compression was significantly lower than the TAG of MB without diastolic compression (-21.4 ± 4.8 HU/10 mm vs. -12.7 ± 8 HU/10 mm, p < 0.001). TAG was a better predictor of MB with systolic compression ≥ 50%, compared to the length or depth of the MB. The TAG of MB with persistent diastolic compression was significantly lower than the TAG without diastolic compression.

This paper summarizes the typical routing algorithm in smart grid by analyzing the communication business and communication requirements of intelligent grid. Mainly from the two kinds of routing algorithm is analyzed, namely clustering routing algorithm and routing algorithm, analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of two kinds of typical routing algorithm in routing algorithm and applicability.

The fourth Euro-NOTES workshop took place in September 2010 and focused on enabling intensive scientific dialogue and interaction between participants to discuss the state of the practice and development of natural-orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) in Europe. Five working groups were...... collaboration and indications, robotics and platforms, and matters related to training and education. This review summarizes consensus statements of the working groups to give an overview of what has been achieved so far and what might be relevant for research related to NOTES in the near future....

A class of models describing the flow of information within networks via routing processes is proposed and investigated, concentrating on the effects of memory traces on the global properties. The long-term flow of information is governed by cyclic attractors, allowing to define a measure for the information centrality of a vertex given by the number of attractors passing through this vertex. We find the number of vertices having a nonzero information centrality to be extensive/subextensive for models with/without a memory trace in the thermodynamic limit. We evaluate the distribution of the number of cycles, of the cycle length and of the maximal basins of attraction, finding a complete scaling collapse in the thermodynamic limit for the latter. Possible implications of our results for the information flow in social networks are discussed.

Background: Obstructive uropathy is a common problem in urologic practice; temporary relief of obstruction in the upper tract poses a significant challenge. Ultrasound‑guided percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) is an option for upper tract drainage; compared to fluoroscopic guidance, it is readily available, affordable, and not ...

Full Text Available Percutaneous tracheostomy (PT has become an oftenly used procedure in critically ill patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation in recent years. The ideal timing and techniques of PT have been topics of considerable debate. In this review, we address general issues regarding PT (indications, contraindications, timing, preparation, techniques, complications and specifically review the literatures regarding the comparison of techniques.

Supine percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has been described in 1988 and several modifications followed since. Despite claimed benefits, supine PCNL is still neglected by the majority of urologists. Lack of experience and the fear of complications are possible explanations for the resistance to

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the frequency of percutaneous injuries among Nigerian dentists and to describe the factors associated with the injuries. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire survey of 160 practicing dentists in Lagos, Ibadan, Ife and Benin. Result: A total of 208 injuries were reported by ...

Topically applied chemicals may volatilize, or evaporate, from skin leaving behind a chemical residue with new percutaneous absorptive capabilities. Understanding volatilization of topical medications, such as sunscreens, fragrances, insect repellants, cosmetics and other commonly applied topicals may have implications for their safety and efficacy. A systematic review of English language articles from 1979 to 2014 was performed using key search terms. Articles were evaluated to assess the relationship between volatility and percutaneous absorption. A total of 12 articles were selected and reviewed. Key findings were that absorption is enhanced when coupled with a volatile substance, occlusion prevents evaporation and increases absorption, high ventilation increases volatilization and reduces absorption, and pH of skin has an affect on a chemical's volatility. The articles also brought to light that different methods may have an affect on volatility: different body regions; in vivo vs. in vitro; human vs. Data suggest that volatility is crucial for determining safety and efficacy of cutaneous exposures and therapies. Few articles have been documented reporting evaporation in the context of percutaneous absorption, and of those published, great variability exists in methods. Further investigation of volatility is needed to properly evaluate its role in percutaneous absorption.

experiences, literature data and guidelines already in existence. During the meetings of Percutaneous Penetration Subgroup they presented a number of short papers of up to date information on the key issues. The objective was to focus the existing knowledge and the gaps in the knowledge in the field...

The Southern states' routing agency report is a compendium of 16-southern states' routing programs relative to the transportation of high-level radioactive materials. The report identifies the state-designated routing agencies as defined under 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 171 and provides a reference to the source ad scope of the agencies' rulemaking authority. Additionally, the state agency and contact designated by the state's governor to receive advance notification and shipment routing information under 10 CFR Parts 71 and 73 are also listed

The Southern States' Routing Agency Report is a compendium of 16-southern states' routing program for the transportation of high-level radioactive materials. The report identifies the state-designated routing agencies as defined under 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 171 and provides a reference to the source and scope of the agencies' rulemaking authority. Additionally, the state agency and contact designated by the state's governor to receive advance notification and shipment routing information under 10 CFR Parts 71 and 73 are also listed

Objective: To investigate the key technique factors and the mechanisms of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). Methods: PMMA was classified into three groups according to the ratio of powder/liquid as 1:1, 3:2 and 2:1. Polymerizing process in vitro was measured respectively in each group, which included 10 samples. Twenty vertebrae from T12-L4 in 4 adult corpses were randomly distributed into 2 groups. In one group, PVP was performed under monitoring by combined CT and C-arm X-ray machines. All vertebrae were dissected into individual vertebra and the ultimate compressive strength was measured in double-blind tests. Results: The period of the polymerizing process and the temperature changes during the polymerizing among 3 groups with different ratio of powder/liquid were significantly different. The ratio of 3/2 was the proper regimen for injection. Punctures were successfully reached in one set of puncture in all vertebrae but one, with 4.5 ml of PMMA in average injected in each vertebra. Pre-vertebral leakage of PMMA was demonstrated in 4 of 20 vertebrae. The ultimate compressive strength increased in 38% in the experimental group compared with that of the control group. Conclusions: Proper ratio of powder/liquid and injection time of PMMA is the key technique for PVP. The puncture route of trans-arch of vertebra is accessible for PVP. It is proven in this study that the ultimate compressive strength of vertebra enhances greatly after PVP

The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and midterm outcomes of percutaneous endovascular repair of thoracic and abdominal aortic pathology. Between December 2003 and June 2005, 21 patients (mean age: 60.4 ± 17.1 years; 15 males, 6 females) underwent endovascular stent-graft insertion for thoracic (n = 13) or abdominal aortic (n = 8) pathology. Preprocedural computed tomographic angiography (CTA) was performed to assess the suitability of aorto-iliac and common femoral artery (CFA) anatomy, including the degree of CFA calcification, for total percutaneous aortic stent-graft repair. Percutaneous access was used for the introduction of 18- to 26-Fr delivery devices. A 'preclose' closure technique using two Perclose suture devices (Perclose A-T; Abbott Vascular) was used in all cases. Data were prospectively collected. Each CFA puncture site was assessed via clinical examination and CTA at 1, 6, and 12 months, followed by annual review thereafter. Minimum follow-up was 36 months. Outcome measures evaluated were rates of technical success, conversion to open surgical repair, complications, and late incidence of arterial stenosis at the site of Perclose suture deployment. A total of 58 Perclose devices were used to close 29 femoral arteriotomies. Outer diameters of stent-graft delivery devices used were 18 Fr (n = 5), 20 Fr (n = 3), 22 Fr (n = 4), 24 Fr (n = 15), and 26 Fr (n = 2). Percutaneous closure was successful in 96.6% (28/29) of arteriotomies. Conversion to surgical repair was required at one access site (3.4%). Mean follow-up was 50 ± 8 months. No late complications were observed. By CT criteria, no patient developed a >50% reduction in CFA caliber at the site of Perclose deployment during the study period. In conclusion, percutaneous aortic stent-graft insertion can be safely performed, with a low risk of both immediate and midterm access-related complications.

Safe peritoneal access and gastric closure are the most important concerns in the clinical application of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). We aimed to clarify the feasibility of a submucosal tunnel technique using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for transgastric peritoneal access and subsequent closure for NOTES. Seven female pigs, each weighing about 40 kg were included in the study. The following procedures were performed: (i) after injection of normal saline into the submucosa, the mucosa was cut with a flex knife; (ii) the submucosal layer was dissected using an insulation-tipped electrosurgical knife to make a narrow longitudinal 50-mm submucosal tunnel; (iii) a small incision was made at the end of the tunnel and enlarged with a dilation balloon. After transgastric peritoneoscopy, the mucosal incision site was closed with clips. The following outcome measures were used: (a) evaluation of the technical feasibility of making a submucosal tunnel; (b) clinical monitoring for 7 days; (c) follow-up endoscopy and necropsy; and (d) peritoneal fluid culture. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic peritoneoscopy with a submucosal tunnel was successfully carried out in all pigs. The pigs recovered well, without signs of peritonitis. Follow-up endoscopy showed healing of mucosal incision sites without open defects. Necropsy revealed no findings of peritonitis, confirming completeness of gastric closure; there was a thin scar in one pig and adhesion of the omentum in six pigs. Peritoneal fluid culture demonstrated no bacterial growth. The submucosal tunnel technique is feasible and effective for transgastric peritoneal access and closure.

instantiations, a recourse route is computed - but costs here become more expensive by a factor λ. We present an O(log2n ·log(nλ))-approximation algorithm for this stochastic routing problem, under arbitrary distributions. The main idea in this result is relating StochVRP to a special case of submodular...

Landmarks are basic ingredients in route descriptions. They often mark choice points: locations where travellers choose from different options how to continue the route. This study focuses on one of the loose ends in the taxonomy of landmarks. In a memory-based production experiment in which

Travel time is probably one of the most studied attributes in route choice. Recently, perception of travel time received more attention as several studies have shown its importance in explaining route choice behavior. In particular, travel time estimates by travelers appear to be biased against

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to record and identify the frequency of complications following percutaneous nephrostomy, replacement of nephrostomy drains and percutaneous insertion of ureteral endoprostheses.Methods: During a 10-year period 341 patients were referred to our department with indications for percutaneous nephrostomy and/or percutaneous insertion of a ureteral endoprosthesis, and a total of 1036 interventional procedures were performed (nephrostomy, catheter change, stenting).Results: There were three major complications (0.29%): two patients died during the first 30 days after the procedure, due to aggravation of their condition caused by the procedure, and one patient had retroperitoneal bleeding requiring surgery. There were 76 complications of intermediate severity (7.33%): catheter or stent displacement (n = 37, 3.57%) catheter occlusion (n = 18, 1.73%), hematuria (n = 12, 1.16%), and urinary tract infection (n = 9, 0.87%). The 55 minor complications (5.3%) comprised inflammation of the skin at the site of insertion of the percutaneous catheter.Conclusion: The small number of complications observed during acts of interventional uroradiology prove transcutaneous manipulations to be safe medical procedures

In the Carotid and Vertebral Artery Transluminal Angioplasty Study (CAVATAS), early recurrent carotid stenosis was more common in patients assigned to endovascular treatment than it was in patients assigned to endarterectomy (CEA), raising concerns about the long-term effectiveness of endovascular treatment. We aimed to investigate the long-term risks of restenosis in patients included in CAVATAS.

Endovascular treatment (angioplasty with or without stenting) is an alternative to carotid endarterectomy for carotid artery stenosis but there are scarce long-term efficacy data showing that it prevents stroke. We therefore report the long-term results of the Carotid and Vertebral Artery Transluminal Angioplasty Study (CAVATAS).

Purpose: To report on the frequency and treatment of arterial complications due to percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD).Materials: Lesions of the intrahepatic artery were encountered in 10 of 525 patients treated by PTBD (2%). Hemobilia followed in 9 patients and subcapsular hematoma in 1. Seven patients had a benign biliary stenosis and 3 had a malignant stenosis.Results: The bleeding resolved spontaneously in 3 patients. In 7 it required arterial embolization, which was successfully achieved either through the percutaneous catheter (n= 3) or by arteriography (n= 4).Conclusion: Arterial bleeding is a relatively rare complication of PTBD that can easily be treated by selective arterial embolization when it does not resolve spontaneously. In this series its frequency was much higher (16%) when the stenosis was benign than when it was malignant (0.6%)

Kienböck disease typically presents with wrist pain, swelling, restricted range of motion, and difficulty in performing activities of daily living. Because the etiology and evolution of disease remain unclear, broad ranges of treatments have been designed. Percutaneous cementoplasty is expanding its role for managing painful bone metastases outside the spine. We can draw a parallel between lytic tumoral lesions and Kienbock’s disease. Increasing the strength and rigidity of lunate with cementoplasty can prevent it from collapse, relieve the symptoms associated with the process of avascular necrosis, and increase the wrist range of motion. We report the case of 30-year-old man with a painful stage IIIA Kienböck disease who underwent percutaneous cementoplasty and experienced immediate effective pain relief and recovery of wrist mobility.

Kienböck disease typically presents with wrist pain, swelling, restricted range of motion, and difficulty in performing activities of daily living. Because the etiology and evolution of disease remain unclear, broad ranges of treatments have been designed. Percutaneous cementoplasty is expanding its role for managing painful bone metastases outside the spine. We can draw a parallel between lytic tumoral lesions and Kienbock’s disease. Increasing the strength and rigidity of lunate with cementoplasty can prevent it from collapse, relieve the symptoms associated with the process of avascular necrosis, and increase the wrist range of motion. We report the case of 30-year-old man with a painful stage IIIA Kienböck disease who underwent percutaneous cementoplasty and experienced immediate effective pain relief and recovery of wrist mobility.

PURPOSE: Percutaneous drainage of subphrenic abscesses is technically more difficult because lung and pleura may be transgressed during catheter insertion. The purpose of this paper is to determine the incidence of thoracic complications secondary to subphrenic abscess drainage and to determine factors that may alter this. The authors' series consists of 100 subphrenic abscesses that were drained percutaneously. Patients range in age from 14 to 75 years. Abscesses were secondary to surgery (splenectomy, pancreatectomy, partial hepatectomy, gastrectomy), pancreatitis, and trauma. Catheters ranged in size from 8 to 14 F and were inserted via trocar or Seldinger technique. Thoracic complications of pneumothorax or empyema were determined from follow-up chest radiographs or CT scans

.... In this paper, we propose a new approach, namely a capacity constrained routing planner which models capacity as a time series and generalizes shortest path algorithms to incorporate capacity constraints...

Mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is the secondmost frequent valve disease in Europe. Untreated MR causes considerable morbidity and mortality. In the elderly, as many as half of these patients are denied surgery because of an estimated high surgical risk. Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the ...... with the MitraClip system resembles the Alfieristitch where a clip is used to connect the tip of the mitral valve leaflets....

The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) has been assumed to be involved in the genesis of several types of facial pain, including Sluder's neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, persistent idiopathic facial pain, cluster headache, and atypical facial pain. The gold standard treatments for SPG-related pain are percutaneous procedures performed with the aid of fluoroscopy or CT. In this technical note the authors present, for the first time, an SPG approach using the aid of a neuronavigator.

Purpose: To investigate initial and long-term success rate after percutaneous treatment of iliac artery occlusion with angioplasty and stent deployment. To investigate the influence of vascular comorbidity, lesion length, stent placement and lesion coverage as possible predictors of outcome. Methods: Between January 1994 and December 1999, 80 iliac recanalizations were performed on 78 patients, median age 61.1 ±11.5 (SD) years. All patients were followed up by clinical examinations, duplex ultrasound and intravenous digital subtraction angiography. Mean follow-up time was 2.0 ± 1.53 (SD) years.Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the influence of cofactors on patency. Results: One, 2 and 4 years after recanalization, primary patency was 78.1%, 74.5% and 64.0%; secondary patency was 88.8%, 88.8% and 77.9%, respectively.Patients with shorter occlusions, complete lesion coverage and patent ipsilateral femoral arteries had significantly longer patency rates.Complications included inguinal hematoma (n=1), technical failure (n=3) aortic dissection (n=1), embolic occlusions (n=7), gluteal claudication (n=1) and genital necrosis after subsequent urethral surgery in one patient with contralateral occlusion and ipsilateral overstenting of the internal iliac artery with subsequent stenosis. Complications were of permanent clinical significance in seven of 78 (9%) of the patients. In 17 (22%) cases, percutaneous reintervention was performed with angioplasty in the stent (n=16) or deployment of a new stent (n=1). Conclusion: Endoluminal stent placement has its place in an interdisciplinary therapeutic approach as a viable therapeutic alternative to major transabdominal bypass surgery and can be performed with comparable complication rates. Patients with short occlusions, patent femoral arteries, and stents covering the entire occlusion have significant longer patency

Full Text Available In this work, we propose an improved alternative route calculation based on alternative figures, which is suitable for practical environments. The improvement is based on the fact that the main traffic route is the road network skeleton in a city. Our approach using nodes may generate a higher possibility of overlapping. We employ a bidirectional Dijkstra algorithm to search the route. To measure the quality of an Alternative Figures (AG, three quotas are proposed. The experiment results indicate that the improved algorithm proposed in this paper is more effective than others.

Full Text Available Planific@ is a route planning project for the city of Madrid (Spain. Its main aim is to develop an intelligence system capable of routing people from one place in the city to any other using the public transport. In order to do this, it is necessary to take into account such things as: time, traffic, user preferences, etc. Before beginning to design the project is necessary to make a comprehensive study of the variety of main known route planning algorithms suitable to be used in this project.

Tracheostomy is considered the airway management of choice for patients who need prolonged mechanical ventilation support. Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheotomy (PDT) is a technique that can be performed easily and rapidly at bedside and is particularly useful in the intensive care setting. The Griggs percutaneous tracheotomy is unique in its utilization of a guide wire dilator forceps. We aimed to describe the early perioperative and late postoperative complications of PDT using the Griggs technique in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This cross-sectional study was conducted on all patients who underwent tracheostomy in the ICU of the Imam Reza Hospital of Kermanshah, Iran, from June 2011 to June 2015. PDT was performed in 184 patients with the Griggs technique. Demographic variables, as well as perioperative and late postoperative complications were recorded. The mean age of patients was 57.3 ± 15.37 years. The most common primary causes of tracheostomy were hypoxic brain damage disorders (43.2%) and pneumonia (14.8%). Perioperative and early complications occurred in 16.7 % of procedures, of which 9.3% were bleedings (minor, significant and major). Furthermore, the incidence of late complications was 8.6%, including: stomal infection, difficult replace tracheostomy tube, tracheoesophageal fistula, tracheal stenosis, and tracheomalacia. PDT via Griggs technique is a safe, quick, and effective method. The low incidence of complications indicates that bedside percutaneous tracheostomy can be performed safely as a routine procedure for daily care implemented in the ICU.

Percutaneous ablation for electrical disconnection of the arrhythmogenic foci using various forms of energy has become a well-established technique for treating atrial fibrillation (AF). Success rate in preventing recurrence of AF episodes is high although associated with a significant incidence of pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis and other rare complications. Clinical workup of AF patients includes imaging before and after ablative treatment using different noninvasive and invasive techniques such as conventional angiography, transoesophageal and intracardiac echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which offer different information with variable diagnostic accuracy. Evaluation before percutaneous ablation involves assessment of PVs (PV pattern, branching pattern, orientation and ostial size) to facilitate position and size of catheters and reduce procedure time as well as examining the left atrium (presence of thrombi, dimensions and volumes). Imaging after the percutaneous ablation is important for assessment of overall success of the procedure and revealing potential complications. Therefore, imaging methods enable depiction of PVs and the anatomy of surrounding structures essential for preprocedural management and early detection of PV stenosis and other ablation-related procedures, as well as long-term follow-up of these patients. (orig.)

Percutaneous ablation for electrical disconnection of the arrhythmogenic foci using various forms of energy has become a well-established technique for treating atrial fibrillation (AF). Success rate in preventing recurrence of AF episodes is high although associated with a significant incidence of pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis and other rare complications. Clinical workup of AF patients includes imaging before and after ablative treatment using different noninvasive and invasive techniques such as conventional angiography, transoesophageal and intracardiac echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which offer different information with variable diagnostic accuracy. Evaluation before percutaneous ablation involves assessment of PVs (PV pattern, branching pattern, orientation and ostial size) to facilitate position and size of catheters and reduce procedure time as well as examining the left atrium (presence of thrombi, dimensions and volumes). Imaging after the percutaneous ablation is important for assessment of overall success of the procedure and revealing potential complications. Therefore, imaging methods enable depiction of PVs and the anatomy of surrounding structures essential for preprocedural management and early detection of PV stenosis and other ablation-related procedures, as well as long-term follow-up of these patients. (orig.)

From March 1987 to July 1989, six patients (five adults and one child) with lung abscess (size, 5-13 cm in diameter) were treated with percutaneous aspiration and drainage. In each case, the puncture was made where the wall of the abscess was in contact with the pleural surface. An 8 to 10 Fr cartheter was inserted for drainage. Five of 6 had a dynamatic clinical response within 24 hours of the drainage. Percutaneous drainage was successful with complete abscess resolution in four and partial resolution in one patient. No response was seen in the rest one. The duration of drainage ranged from 7 to 18 days(average, 15.5 days) in successful cases. One case of the failure in drainage was due tio persistent aspiration of the neurologically impaired patient. In one patient, the abscess resolved after drainage but recurred after inadvertent removal of the catheter 7 days after insertion. In two patients, concurrent pleural empyema was resolved completely by the drainage. Computed tomography provide anatomic details necessary for choosing the puncture site and avoiding a puncture of the lung parenchyma. Percutaneous catheter drainage is safe and effective method for treating patient with lung abscess.

From March 1987 to July 1989, six patients (five adults and one child) with lung abscess (size, 5-13 cm in diameter) were treated with percutaneous aspiration and drainage. In each case, the puncture was made where the wall of the abscess was in contact with the pleural surface. An 8 to 10 Fr cartheter was inserted for drainage. Five of 6 had a dynamatic clinical response within 24 hours of the drainage. Percutaneous drainage was successful with complete abscess resolution in four and partial resolution in one patient. No response was seen in the rest one. The duration of drainage ranged from 7 to 18 days(average, 15.5 days) in successful cases. One case of the failure in drainage was due tio persistent aspiration of the neurologically impaired patient. In one patient, the abscess resolved after drainage but recurred after inadvertent removal of the catheter 7 days after insertion. In two patients, concurrent pleural empyema was resolved completely by the drainage. Computed tomography provide anatomic details necessary for choosing the puncture site and avoiding a puncture of the lung parenchyma. Percutaneous catheter drainage is safe and effective method for treating patient with lung abscess

Percutaneous biliary dilation was done in 3 patients with benign strictures. The first case was 50-year-old male who had multiple intrahepatic stones with biliary stricture. The second 46-year-old female and the third 25-year-old male suffered from recurrent cholangitis with benign stricture of anastomotic site after choledocho-jejunostomy. In the first case, a 6mm diameter Grunzing dilatation balloon catheter was introduced through the T-tube tract. In the second case, the stricture was dilated with two balloons of 5mm and 8mm in each diameter sequentially through the U-loop tract formed by surgically made jejunostomy and percutaneous transhepatic puncture. In the third case, the dilatation catheter was introduced through the percutaneous transhepatic tract. Dilatation was made with a pressure of 5 to 10 atmospheres for 1 to 3 minutes duration for 3 times. In all 3 cases, the strictures were successfully dilated and in second and third cases internal stent was left across the lesion for prevention of restenosis.

Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — Shapefile of Transit Routes - Please refer to each resource for active dates of the route information. Routes change over time,

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — This data layer is used with VTrans' Integrated Route Log System (IRA). It is also used to calibrate the linear referencing systems, including the End-to-End and...

.... Currently, this critical function is performed by the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) version 4 RF01771. Like all routing protocols, BGP is vulnerable to instabilities that reduce its effectiveness...

Introduction. With the aim of reducing the incidence of restenosis, we developed a technique of intracoronary beta irradiation using an enylenediamine centered pure metallic 90-yttrium source fixed to a thrust wire. The outer diameter of both the active and thrust wires is 0.34 mm. A centering balloon with a monorail design and a blind lumen for source advancement has been developed. The source can be advanced manually in 10-13'' from the protection container to the target site. Its flexibility allows easy insertion despite tortuous anatomy. Dosimetric tests have been performed with 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 mm centering balloons. The standard deviation values varied between 8 and 12 % of the mean surface doses, which confirms the efficacy of the source centering. The purpose of this study was to evaluate its technical feasibility and short-term safety in the clinical setting. Methods and results. Between June 21 and November 15, 1995 fifteen patients (6 women and 9 men, aged 72 ± 5 years) underwent intracoronary beta irradiation immediately after a conventional percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (P TCA) procedure. Both the PTCA and the irradiation procedure were done in an ordinary catheterization laboratory. They were technically feasible in all cases, and the delivery of the 18 Gy dose was accomplished within a local exposure time 391 ± 206 sec (range 153 - 768 sec) without any complication. In four patients, the intervention was completed by intraarterial stent implantation because of dissection induced by the initial PTCA. No in-hospital complications occurred, and serial creatine kinase measurements remained within the normal range in all cases. During a follow-up period of 54±46 days (range 20 days - 5 months) all patients remained well and free of cardiac events. Conclusions. Our early experience thus suggests that this approach is both feasible and safe on a short-term basis. Whether beta-irradiation will favorably influence post PTCA restenosis in

Full Text Available Objective: to study an association of high lipoprotein(a [Lp(a] levels with the development of restenosis and the progression of coronaryatherosclerosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI in patients with chronic coronary heart disease (CHD.Subjects and methods. From 502 enrolled patients (mean age 54.7 ± 8.9 years, 92 underwent routine percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA, 270 had PTCA with the bare metal stent (BMS being implantation, 140 had PTCA using drug-eluting stents (DES. Functionalclasses III and IV angina have been registered in 337 (67 % patients; history of one myocardial infarction (MI was noted in 234 (47 % cases, 171 (34 % had experienced 2 or more MIs. Blood samples for lipid and Lp(a measurements were taken in all the patients. Restenosis was defined as at least 50 % lumen narrowing of the coronary artery segment after angioplasty. Coronary atherosclerosis progression was established in cases of the new occlusion occurring, as well as identifying a 10 % decrease in lumen diameter in comparison with baseline angiograms.Results. Repeated coronary angiography revealed the signs of restenosis in 103 of 243 patients. Dividing patients into 3 groups according to the type of intervention demonstrated that the level of Lp(a (median 25–75 % quartiles was significantly higher in the restenosis group after implantation of BMS (33; 11–62 and 16; 6–39 mg/dl, respectively; p = 0.014 versus those who had undergone DES implantation (23; 10–30 and 20; 6–60 mg/dl; p = 0.7 or balloon angioplasty (17; 4–48 and 9; 4–36 mg/dl; p = 0.3. Patients with progression of coronary atherosclerosis had difference only in Lp(a levels compared to the group without progression (36; 13–62 versus 12; 4–26 mg/dl, p < 0,001.Conclusion. During the first year after elective PCI Lp(a concentration determined the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in non-culprit lesionsand associated with the risk of in

Full Text Available Objective: to study an association of high lipoprotein(a [Lp(a] levels with the development of restenosis and the progression of coronaryatherosclerosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI in patients with chronic coronary heart disease (CHD.Subjects and methods. From 502 enrolled patients (mean age 54.7 ± 8.9 years, 92 underwent routine percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA, 270 had PTCA with the bare metal stent (BMS being implantation, 140 had PTCA using drug-eluting stents (DES. Functionalclasses III and IV angina have been registered in 337 (67 % patients; history of one myocardial infarction (MI was noted in 234 (47 % cases, 171 (34 % had experienced 2 or more MIs. Blood samples for lipid and Lp(a measurements were taken in all the patients. Restenosis was defined as at least 50 % lumen narrowing of the coronary artery segment after angioplasty. Coronary atherosclerosis progression was established in cases of the new occlusion occurring, as well as identifying a 10 % decrease in lumen diameter in comparison with baseline angiograms.Results. Repeated coronary angiography revealed the signs of restenosis in 103 of 243 patients. Dividing patients into 3 groups according to the type of intervention demonstrated that the level of Lp(a (median 25–75 % quartiles was significantly higher in the restenosis group after implantation of BMS (33; 11–62 and 16; 6–39 mg/dl, respectively; p = 0.014 versus those who had undergone DES implantation (23; 10–30 and 20; 6–60 mg/dl; p = 0.7 or balloon angioplasty (17; 4–48 and 9; 4–36 mg/dl; p = 0.3. Patients with progression of coronary atherosclerosis had difference only in Lp(a levels compared to the group without progression (36; 13–62 versus 12; 4–26 mg/dl, p < 0,001.Conclusion. During the first year after elective PCI Lp(a concentration determined the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in non-culprit lesionsand associated with the risk of in

Geneva's Public Transport services (TPG) have recently inaugurated a new bus line 28, connecting the La Tour Hospital in Meyrin to the international organisations in Geneva, via the airport. All signs associated with this route will be yellow in colour. Timetables and route details can be found at http://www.tpg.ch. Relations with the Host States Service http://www.cern.ch/relations/ Tel. 72848

This study aimed to assess the role of pre-designed route on computer tomography urography (CTU) in the ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for renal calculus.From August 2013 to May 2016, a total of 100 patients diagnosed with complex renal calculus in our hospital were randomly divided into CTU group and control group (without CTU assistance). CTU was used to design a rational route for puncturing in CTU group. Ultrasound was used in both groups to establish a working trace in the operation areas. Patients' perioperative parameters and postoperative complications were recorded.All operations were successfully performed, without transferring to open surgery. Time of channel establishment in CTU group (6.5 ± 4.3 minutes) was shorter than the control group (10.0 ± 6.7 minutes) (P = .002). In addition, there was shorter operation time, lower rates of blood transfusion, secondary operation, and less establishing channels. The incidence of postoperative complications including residual stones, sepsis, severe hemorrhage, and perirenal hematoma was lower in CTU group than in control group.Pre-designing puncture route on CTU images would improve the puncturing accuracy, lessen establishing channels as well as improve the security in the ultrasound-guided PCNL for complex renal calculus, but at the cost of increased radiation exposure.

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is an emerging surgical technique. We aimed to design, create, and evaluate a new semi-automatic snake robot for NOTES. The snake robot employs the characteristics of both a manual endoscope and a multi-segment snake robot. This robot is inserted and retracted manually, like a classical endoscope, while its shape is controlled using embedded robot technology. The feasibility of a prototype robot for NOTES was evaluated in animals and human cadavers. The transverse stiffness and maneuverability of the snake robot appeared satisfactory. It could be advanced through the anus as far as the peritoneal cavity without any injury to adjacent organs. Preclinical tests showed that the device could navigate the peritoneal cavity. The snake robot has advantages of high transverse force and intuitive control. This new robot may be clinically superior to conventional tools for transanal NOTES.

The objective of this article is to report our first experience of CT guided percutaneous thoracic biopsy and to demonstrate the accuracy and safety of this procedure. This was a retrospective study of 28 CT-Guided Percutaneous Needle Biopsies of the Chest performed on 24 patients between November 2014 and April 2015.

Full Text Available Percutaneous transhepatic removal techniques for malfunctioning plastic biliary endoprosthesis are considered safe and efficient second-line strategies, when endoscopic procedures are not feasible. We describe the percutaneous transhepatic balloon pulling technique in a patient with an unresectable malignant hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Introduction: Tracheostomy is one of the most commonly performed procedures in critically ill patients. Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT), according to ciaglias technique described in 1985, has become the most popular technique for percutaneous tracheostomy and is demonstrably as safe as surgical.

There is limited experience of percutaneous biliary interventions in children although they are safe and effective procedures. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous management of tumoral biliary obstruction in children. Percutaneous biliary interventions were performed in eight children (six boys, two girls) with a mean age of 10.5 years (range 4-17 years). The interventions included percutaneous biliary drainage (five patients), percutaneous biliary drainage and placement of a self-expanding metallic stent (two patients), and percutaneous cholecystostomy (one patient). All patients had signs of obstructive jaundice and two had cholangitis. All procedures were successful. No procedure-related mortality was observed. Bilirubin levels returned to normal in four of the eight patients. Findings of cholangitis resolved in the two affected patients after the procedure and antibiotic treatment. Two patients underwent surgery after percutaneous biliary drainage procedures. A self-expanding metallic stent was placed in two patients with malignancy and the stents remained patent until death. Percutaneous biliary interventions can be performed safely for the management of tumoral biliary obstruction in children. (orig.)

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this article is to identify classification and grading systems of percutaneous nephrolithotomy-related complications and evidence for the prevention and treatment of these complications. RECENT FINDINGS: A total complication rate of up to 83% following percutaneous

There is limited experience of percutaneous biliary interventions in children although they are safe and effective procedures. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous management of tumoral biliary obstruction in children. Percutaneous biliary interventions were performed in eight children (six boys, two girls) with a mean age of 10.5 years (range 4-17 years). The interventions included percutaneous biliary drainage (five patients), percutaneous biliary drainage and placement of a self-expanding metallic stent (two patients), and percutaneous cholecystostomy (one patient). All patients had signs of obstructive jaundice and two had cholangitis. All procedures were successful. No procedure-related mortality was observed. Bilirubin levels returned to normal in four of the eight patients. Findings of cholangitis resolved in the two affected patients after the procedure and antibiotic treatment. Two patients underwent surgery after percutaneous biliary drainage procedures. A self-expanding metallic stent was placed in two patients with malignancy and the stents remained patent until death. Percutaneous biliary interventions can be performed safely for the management of tumoral biliary obstruction in children. (orig.)

To evaluate the efficacy and clinical results of percutaneous insertion of inferior vena cava(IVC) filter. Over a two year period, eight IVC filters were placed in eight patients with pulmonary thromboembolism resulting from deep vein thrombosis of the legs. The indications for placement were contraindication to anticoagulation(3), and recurrent pulmonary embolism during anticoagulant therapy(5). Both femoral(7) and jugular(1) routes were used for percutaneous transvenous insertion. To delineate the caval anatomy and to ensure placement just caudal to the renal vein, a cavogram was obtained before filter placement. Bird's Nest (7) and Greenfield (1) filters were inserted. Follow-up information was obtained by means of duplex sonography, CT scan, abdominal radiograph, and perfusion scan of the lungs, followed by clinical evaluation. In all cases, procedures were technically successful. Placement complications occurred in three patients. In one, the filter was inadvertently placed above the iliac bifurcation; in the other two, prolapse of the Bird's Nest filter wire occurred. Occlusion of IVC occurred in two patients, and recurrent pulmonary embolism was suspected in one, who suffered from chest pain and short-ness of breath. In the other patients, there was no clinical evidence of recurrence of the pulmonary embolism. Insertion of an inferior vena cava filter is a safe and effective method for the prevention of pulmonary embolism when anticoagulant therapy is either ineffective or contraindicated

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of percutaneous transsplenic portal vein catheterization (PTSPC). Methods: Thirty patients with portal hypertension underwent gastroesophageal variceal embolization via PTSPC route, 2 of which simultaneously underwent portal vein stenting. This study included the patients with portal venous obstruction (tumor embolus or thrombus) or the patients with serious liver atrophy caused by liver cirrhosis. The patients who had severe coagulation insufficiency (with prothrombin time > 20 s) were excluded. Of the 30 patients, 17 had primary hepatocellular carcinoma with main portal venous tumor embolus, 13 had cirrhosis with severe liver atrophy and (or)slight or moderate ascite. Before this study, all of 30 patients had a history of variceal bleeding, and 16 patients had a normal coagulation level, 10 patients had a mildly prolonged prothrombin time (14-17 s), 4 patients had a moderately prolonged prothrombin time (18-20 s). All of 30 patients underwent upper abdomen CT enhanced scanning before this procedure, and the site, direction, and depth of splenic vein branch puncture were decided by CT images. The technology of PTSPC, procedure-related complications, and its clinical application were retrospectively analyzed. Results: PTSPC was performed successfully in 28 of 30 patients. Two cases failed because of a small intrasplenic vein. Procedure-related complications occurred in 6 patients (20.0%), which had decrease of hemoglobin concentration (15-50 g/L). Four of them needed blood transfusion. In the six patients, one patient (3.3%) with abdominal cavity hemorrhage had a serious drop of blood pressure 2 hours after procedure, whose clinical symptoms were relieved after four units of packed RBC and a great quantity of fluid were transfused. Twenty-eight patients whose PTSPC were successfully performed underwent variceal embolization, 2 of them were placed with portal vein covered stents. During a median follow-up period of 6 months

Primary hyperparathyroidism is one of the most common endocrine disorders requiring surgical parathyroidectomy for its definitive treatment. Surgical exploration is traditionally performed through conventional open neck approach. A wide range of minimal access and minimally invasive endoscopic techniques (gas less and with gas) have been attempted in the past two decades. In this context, we evaluated the feasibility and safety of an innovative transoral endoscopic parathyroidectomy (EP) technique, which represents a paradigm shift in transluminal endocrine surgery. This is a prospective study conducted at a tertiary care Endocrine Surgery Department in South India between May 2016 and August 2017. We employed a novel transoral, lower vestibular route for EP. All the clinical, investigative, operative, pathological and post-operative data were collected from our prospectively filled database. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 20.0 version. Under inhalational general anaesthesia, access to the neck was obtained with 3 ports (central frenulotomy and two lateral port sites), dissected in subplatysmal plane and insufflated with 6 mm Hg CO 2 for working space. Rest of surgical steps is similar to conventional open parathyroidectomy. Out of the 38 hyperparathyroidism cases operated during the study, 12 (32%) were operated by this technique. Mean operative time was 112 ± 15 min (95-160). The post-operative course was uneventful with no major morbidity, hypocalcemia or recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. Cure and diagnosis were confirmed by> 50% fall in intraoperative parathyroid hormone levels and histopathology (all were benign solitary adenomas). Through this study, we opine that this novel transoral vestibular route parathyroidectomy is a feasibly applicable approach for primary sporadic hyperparathyroidism, especially with solitary benign adenomas.

Rapidly increasing volumes of GPS data collected from vehicles provide new and increasingly comprehensive insight into the routes that drivers prefer. While routing services generally compute shortest or fastest routes, recent studies suggest that local drivers often prefer routes that are neithe...

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tension pneumoperitoneum as a complication of iatrogenic bowel perforation during endoscopy is a dramatic condition in which intraperitoneal air under pressure causes hemodynamic and ventilatory compromise. Like tension pneumothorax, urgent intervention is required. Immediate surgical decompression though is not always possible due to the limitations of the preclinical management and sometimes to capacity constraints of medical staff and equipment in the clinic. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of cases of pneumoperitoneum and tension pneumoperitoneum due to iatrogenic bowel perforation. All patients admitted to our surgical department between January 2005 and October 2010 were included. Tension pneumoperitoneum was diagnosed in those patients presenting signs of hemodynamic and ventilatory compromise in addition to abdominal distension. Results Between January 2005 and October 2010 eleven patients with iatrogenic bowel perforation were admitted to our surgical department. The mean time between perforation and admission was 36 ± 14 hrs (range 30 min - 130 hrs, between ER admission and begin of the operation 3 hrs and 15 min ± 47 min (range 60 min - 9 hrs. Three out of eleven patients had clinical signs of tension pneumoperitoneum. In those patients emergency percutaneous needle decompression was performed with a 16G venous catheter. This improved significantly the patients' condition (stabilization of vital signs, reducing jugular vein congestion, bridging the time to the start of the operation. Conclusions Hemodynamical and respiratory compromise in addition to abdominal distension shortly after endoscopy are strongly suggestive of tension pneumoperitoneum due to iatrogenic bowel perforation. This is a rare but life threatening condition and it can be managed in a preclinical and clinical setting with emergency percutaneous needle decompression like tension pneumothorax. Emergency percutaneous decompression is no

Full Text Available Abstract Background Osteolytic metastases around the acetabulum are frequent in tumour patients, and may cause intense and drug-resistant pain of the hip. These lesions also cause structural weakening of the pelvis, limping, and poor quality of life. Percutaneous acetabuloplasty is a mini-invasive procedure for the management of metastatic lesions due to carcinoma of the acetabulum performed in patients who cannot tolerate major surgery, or in patients towards whom radiotherapy had already proved ineffective. Methods We report a retrospective study in 25 such patients (30 acetabuli who were evaluated before and after percutaneous acetabuloplasty, with regard to pain, mobility of the hip joint, use of analgesics, by means of evaluation forms: Visual Analog Scale, Harris Hip Score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis (WOMAC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG. The results obtained were analysed using the χ2 Test and Fisher's exact test. Significance was sent at P Results Marked clinical improvement was observed in all patients during the first six post-operative months, with gradual a worsening thereafter from deterioration of their general condition. Complete pain relief was achieved in 15 of our 25 (59% of patients, and pain reduction was achieved in the remaining 10 (41% patients. The mean duration of pain relief was 7.3 months. Pain recurred in three patients (12% between 2 weeks to 3 months. No major complications occurred. There was transient local pain in most cases, and 2 cases of venous injection of cement without clinical consequences. Conclusion Percutaneous acetabuloplasty is effective in improving the quality of life of patients with osteolytic bone tumours, even though the improvement is observed during the first 6 months only. It can be an effective aid to chemo- and radiotherapy in the management of acetabular metastases.

The large number of pace-makers introduced transvenously has resulted in increasing the number of complications, amongst which infections and dislocations are prominent. It is usually necessary to remove the electrode, which can be attempted percutaneously by using a Dormia basket, a loop or forceps. Amongst the complications of this procedure are tears to the myocardium, with the risk of pericardial tamponade, or tears of the tricuspid valve leading to tricuspid insufficiency. Consequently, thoracic surgical intervention should be available if necessary. Four successful procedures are described. (orig.) [de

Purpose: The osteoid osteoma (OO) is a benign bone tumor characterized by causing severe and constant pain at night, and for that reason it requires a surgical excision. Although for years the treatment of choice has been surgery, the development of CT-guided percutaneous procedures, such as percutaneous resection with trephine (PR), and more recently the radiofrequency ablation (RF), it is possible to remove the core of the lesion and therefore relieve the symptoms in a considerably less invasive way. Material and methods: Between January 1990 and February 2004, 65 lesions in 60 patients with a presumptive diagnosis of osteoid osteoma were treated. 49 PRs and 16 RFs were performed. Of the 49 PRs, 5 required curettage and one required an ethanol injection. The procedures were guided by CT imaging under general or spinal anesthesia with 24 hr hospitalization. Tumor samples were taken for anatomical pathology analysis (AP). The absence of symptoms and late complications was verified 30 days after the procedure. Results: All lesions were accessed successfully. In 5 of them it was necessary to broaden the resection due to a possible insufficient margin. In 38 of the 65 lesions (58,5%) AP confirmed the OO diagnosis; in 6/65 (9.2%) of them AP found other specific lesions, such as enostoma (n=2), bone cyst (n=1), inclusion cyst (n=1), chondroma (n=1), and chronic osteitis (n=1), and in the rest of the cases the findings were unspecified. All patients (60/60) showed no pain within 24-48 hours of the procedure, and 5/60 (8,3%) received further treatment due to recurring symptoms. Conclusion: The percutaneous procedure has shown to be an effective technique for the treatment of OO. Compared to surgical excision, the percutaneous technique is less invasive, it requires less anesthesia and hospitalization time, and it allows an earlier return to active life. The PR is less expensive than the RF, but it requires a wider bone incision. However, both techniques are equally

This paper determines whether radiation therapy (RT) is a risk factor for infectious complications (particularly hepatic abscess formation) related to percutaneous biliary drainage (PBD). The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 98 consecutive patients who had undergone PBD for obstruction. In 34 patients with benign obstruction, three infectious complications occurred, none of which were hepatic abscess or fatal sepsis. In 39 patients who had malignant obstruction but did not have cholangiocarcinoma, 13 infectious complications occurred, including two hepatic abscesses and three cases of fatal sepsis. Of the 25 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, 15 underwent RT; in these 15 patients, 14 infectious complications occurred, including six hepatic abscesses and two cases of fatal sepsis

The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the de facto inter-domain routing protocol of the Internet, is known to be noisy. The protocol has two main mechanisms to ameliorate this, MinRouteAdvertisementInterval (MRAI), and Route Flap Damping (RFD). MRAI deals with very short bursts on the order of a few to 30 seconds. RFD deals with longer bursts, minutes to hours. Unfortunately, RFD was found to severely penalize sites for being well-connected because topological richness amplifies the number of update messages exchanged. So most operators have disabled it. Through measurement, this paper explores the avenue of absolutely minimal change to code, and shows that a few RFD algorithmic constants and limits can be trivially modified, with the result being damping a non-trivial amount of long term churn without penalizing well-behaved prefixes' normal convergence process.

Restenosis and occlusion are the most common reasons why transluminal balloon angioplasty may fail to provide long-term benefit. To prevent restonosis and occlusion of diseased arteries after angioplasty an arterial endoprosthesis has been developed which is positioned to the balloon of an angioplasty catheter and which consists of a stainless steel pliable and elastic tube. With the inflation of the balloon the endoprosthesis will dilate and give the arterial wall a new mechanical support. This new device has been implanted in 12 experimental dogs in arteries of different size and lumen. The longest patency rate of nine months was observed with the completely developed method. (orig.) [de

Full Text Available The study has been designed to compare the outcome of percutaneous nephrolithotomy with (Group A or without nephrostomy tube (Group B for the management of renal stone disease. JJ stents were given to all cases of both groups. Comparison of outcome between groups shows that urinary leakage time was significantly longer in Group B than that in Group A (24.0 ± 6.2 vs 7.3 ± 3.9 hours; p<0.001. Visual analogue pain score was also significantly high in Group B than in Group A (4.7 ± 0.8 vs 2.4 ± 0.5; p<0.035. Patients in Group B stayed in hospital on an average 4 days, while the Group A patients stayed in hospital on an average 2.5 days (p<0.029. The mean hemoglobin decrease in 24 hours in Group B and in Group A (0.5 ± 0.4 and 0.5 ± 0.4 respectively did not show any significant difference (p<0.895. In conclusion, percutaneous nephrolithotomy without nephrostomy tube can be practiced in the management of selective cases of renal stones diseases.

The recurrence of pediatric nephrolithiasis, the morbidity of repeated open surgical treatment as well as our experience in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) in adult patients, all derived us to shift to PNL for managing renal stones >1.5 cm in pediatric patients. Our aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PNL in pediatric patients. During the period of the month between May 2011 and April 2013, 38 children (47 renal units) underwent PNL for renal stones 1.5-5 cm in length. Patient demographics, stone characteristics, and clinical outcome were prospectively studied. Data of those who underwent conventional and tubeless PNL were compared. Median follow-up period was 12 months (range: 6-24). The median age at presentation was 8-year (range: 3-12). The operative time ranged from 30 to 120 min (median 90). Overall stone clearance rate was 91.5% after single PNL. The median hospital stay was 3 days. Auxiliary procedures were successful for the remaining 4 patients (nephroscopic clearance in one and shockwave lithotripsy in 3). Tubeless PNL was performed in 17 renal units with a comparable outcome to conventional ones. The perioperative complications were noted in 5/47 (10.6%) of all procedures (Clavien Grade II in 4 and Clavien Grade IIIa in 1) and were managed conservatively. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy for renal stones in pediatric patients is safe and feasible if performed by a well-experienced endourologist. Tubeless PNL is a better choice for children.

Interventional radiology plays a major role in the management of symptomatic intervertebral disc herniations. In the absence of significant pain relief with conservative treatment including oral pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs, selective image-guided periradicular infiltrations are generally indicated. The precise control of needle positioning allows optimal distribution of steroids along the painful nerve root. After 6 weeks of failure of conservative treatment including periradicular infiltration, treatment aiming to decompress or remove the herniation is considered. Conventional open surgery offers suboptimal results and is associated with significant morbidity. To achieve minimally invasive discal decompression, different percutaneous techniques have been developed. Their principle is to remove a small volume of nucleus, which results in an important reduction of intradiscal pressure and subsequently reduction of pressure inside the disc herniation. However, only contained disc herniations determined by computed tomography or magnetic resonance are indicated for these techniques. Thermal techniques such as radiofrequency or laser nucleotomy seem to be more effective than purely mechanical nucleotomy; indeed, they achieve discal decompression but also thermal destruction of intradiscal nociceptors, which may play a major role in the physiopathology of discal pain. The techniques of image-guided spinal periradicular infiltration and percutaneous nucleotomy with laser and radiofrequency are presented with emphasis on their best indications.

To determine the triggers of blood transfusion in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). The percutaneous surgery database was retrospectively reviewed to identify patients with postoperative haemorrhage and need for blood transfusion. Blood loss was estimated by the postoperative drop in haemoglobin factored by the quantity of any blood transfusion. Various patients and procedure-related factors were assessed for association with total blood loss or blood transfusion requirement using stepwise univariate, forward multivariate regression analysis. A total of 326 procedures were performed in 316 patients. Two hundred and thirty two procedures were included in the study. There were 167 males and 65 females. The mean age was 41+14 years. The mean haemoglobin drop was 1.68 +1.3 gm/dL. The overall blood transfusion rate was 14.2%. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis showed that female gender (p = 0.003), staghorn stone (p = 0.023), stone fragmentation with ultrasound (p = 0.054) and chronic renal failure (p = 0.001) were significantly predictive of the need for blood transfusion. Chronic renal failure, female gender, presence of staghorn calculi and stone fragmentation using ultrasonic device were predictive of blood transfusion in this cohort of patients. (author)

To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of percutaneous cryotherapy for inoperable patients with malignant pulmonary nodules. We enrolled 14 patients (7 males, 7 females, average age 68.8 years) who had inoperable lung malignancy in this study from August 2006 through July 2009. We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of cryotherapy for complete or incomplete ablation by follow up chest CT. Using Kaplan Meier statistical methods, we estimated the survival of patients who had undergone cryotherapy and we investigated post cryotherapy complications. Five of the 14 patients underwent complete ablation (35.7%), while 9 of 14 patients underwent incomplete ablation (64.3%). The change in mean size before procedure and at last follow up CT in the complete and incomplete ablation were as follows: 13.2 {+-} 7.6 mm {yields} 3.8 {+-} 2.7 mm, and 18.1 {+-} 6.2 mm {yields} 33.7 {+-} 17.9 mm, respectively. The median survival of patients in the complete and the incomplete groups were 51.5 months and 24 months, respectively. One patient developed a small pneumothorax, which resolved spontaneously. Two patients developed hemoptysis after the procedure, which was controlled within a day. Percutaneous cryotherapy may be an effective and safe therapeutic method for inoperable patients with malignant pulmonary nodules.

To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of percutaneous cryotherapy for inoperable patients with malignant pulmonary nodules. We enrolled 14 patients (7 males, 7 females, average age 68.8 years) who had inoperable lung malignancy in this study from August 2006 through July 2009. We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of cryotherapy for complete or incomplete ablation by follow up chest CT. Using Kaplan Meier statistical methods, we estimated the survival of patients who had undergone cryotherapy and we investigated post cryotherapy complications. Five of the 14 patients underwent complete ablation (35.7%), while 9 of 14 patients underwent incomplete ablation (64.3%). The change in mean size before procedure and at last follow up CT in the complete and incomplete ablation were as follows: 13.2 ± 7.6 mm → 3.8 ± 2.7 mm, and 18.1 ± 6.2 mm → 33.7 ± 17.9 mm, respectively. The median survival of patients in the complete and the incomplete groups were 51.5 months and 24 months, respectively. One patient developed a small pneumothorax, which resolved spontaneously. Two patients developed hemoptysis after the procedure, which was controlled within a day. Percutaneous cryotherapy may be an effective and safe therapeutic method for inoperable patients with malignant pulmonary nodules

Twenty-one Kimray-Greenfield, 33 bird's nest, and 19 Amplatz vena cava filters were placed percutaneously. The Kimray-Greenfield filter was the most difficult to insert. The major problem was the insertion site, which required venipuncture with a 24-F catheter. Minor hemorrhage was frequent, and femoral vein thrombosis occurred in four patients. No migration, caval thrombosis, or pulmonary emboli were seen after Kimray-Greenfield filter placement. The bird's nest filter was relatively easy to insert, although in two cases the filter prongs could not be adequately seated in the wall of the inferior vena cava. Three patients with bird's nest filters had thrombosis below the filter, and three filters migrated to the heart. One migrated filter could not be removed. One patient had multiple small pulmonary emboli at autopsy. No other pulmonary emboli after filter placement were noted. The Amplatz filter was the easiest of the three filters to insert. Only one patient with an Amplatz filter had thrombosis of the vena cava below the filter. No filter migrations were documented, and no recurrent pulmonary emboli were found on clinical or radiologic follow-up. The Amplatz vena cava filter is easier to place than percutaneous Kimray-Greenfield or bird's nest filters, has a low complication rate, and has proven to be clinically effective in preventing pulmonary emboli

To review the effectiveness and complication of percutaneous cholecystostomy (PCCS). We performed PCCS in 60 patient who presented with acute cholecystitis. The causes of acute cholecystitis were as follows; acalculous cholecystitis(n=8), calculous cholecystitis(n=23), GB hydrops (n=3), GB empyema(n=15), septic cholangitis(n=11). Of 60 patients, 36 patients had high risk factor for cholecystectomy; underlying malignancy(n=13), severe trauma(n=6). Cholecystostomy was done under ultrasonographic and fluoroscopic guide. The cholecystostomy was successfully in 59 patients, and failed in 1 patient. 15 patients improved without other procedure. 16 patients underwent cholecystectomy after improvement of their general condition. Severe complications of PCCS are as follows; bile peritonitis(n=6), hemoperitoneum(n=1), subphrenic abscess(n=1). Mild complication, such as pain, occurred in most patients. Emergency operation was done in one patient who developed bile peritonitis. Cholecystostomy is effective and safe, especially in cases of inoperable patients who represent acute cholecystitis. Percutaneous cholecystostomy may substitute surgical cholecystostomy.

Background. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is fulminant and often fatal in immunosuppressed patients. Percutaneous biopsy may select patients who could benefit from surgical resection. Objective. We sought to determine the accuracy of percutaneous biopsy for pediatric invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Materials and methods. We retrospectively reviewed 28 imaging-guided percutaneous biopsies of the lungs of 24 children with suspected pulmonary aspergillosis. Twenty-two were being treated for malignancy and two for congenital immunodeficiency; 15 had received bone-marrow transplants. The accuracy of the percutaneous lung biopsy was determined by subsequent surgical resection, autopsy, or clinical course. Results. Histopathological studies showed ten biopsy specimens with septate hyphae, indicating a mold, and seven with Aspergillus flavus colonies in culture. The remaining 18 biopsies revealed no fungi. No patient had progressive aspergillosis after negative biopsy. Invasive pulmonary mold was detected by percutaneous biopsy with 100 % (10/10) sensitivity and 100 % (18/18) specificity. Percutaneous biopsy results influenced the surgical decision in 86 % (24 of 28) of the cases. Bleeding complicated the biopsy in 46 % (13/28) and hastened one death. Conclusion. Percutaneous biopsy of the lung is an accurate technique for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and correctly determines which immunosuppressed pediatric patients would benefit from therapeutic pulmonary resection. (orig.)

Background. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is fulminant and often fatal in immunosuppressed patients. Percutaneous biopsy may select patients who could benefit from surgical resection. Objective. We sought to determine the accuracy of percutaneous biopsy for pediatric invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Materials and methods. We retrospectively reviewed 28 imaging-guided percutaneous biopsies of the lungs of 24 children with suspected pulmonary aspergillosis. Twenty-two were being treated for malignancy and two for congenital immunodeficiency; 15 had received bone-marrow transplants. The accuracy of the percutaneous lung biopsy was determined by subsequent surgical resection, autopsy, or clinical course. Results. Histopathological studies showed ten biopsy specimens with septate hyphae, indicating a mold, and seven with Aspergillus flavus colonies in culture. The remaining 18 biopsies revealed no fungi. No patient had progressive aspergillosis after negative biopsy. Invasive pulmonary mold was detected by percutaneous biopsy with 100 % (10/10) sensitivity and 100 % (18/18) specificity. Percutaneous biopsy results influenced the surgical decision in 86 % (24 of 28) of the cases. Bleeding complicated the biopsy in 46 % (13/28) and hastened one death. Conclusion. Percutaneous biopsy of the lung is an accurate technique for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and correctly determines which immunosuppressed pediatric patients would benefit from therapeutic pulmonary resection. (orig.)

Innovations in mobile technology allow people to request route information on their smartphone to reach safe areas during emergency and disaster evacuations. In return, the affected people in the field can send their observation reports, e.g. using a dedicated icon-based disaster language. However,

Slides of an overview presentation given at a CESAER workshop on Open Access, February 2nd, 2017, in Brussels Cover major routes to more open access as discussed in the Task Force Open Science of CESAER: (national) open access strategies open access mandates open access incentives open access awareness open access publishing open access infrastructure

Dynamic Weather Routes Architecture Overview, presents the high level software architecture of DWR, based on the CTAS software framework and the Direct-To automation tool. The document also covers external and internal data flows, required dataset, changes to the Direct-To software for DWR, collection of software statistics, and the code structure.

This article studies the allocation of CO2 emissions to a specific shipment in routing transportation. The authors show that this problem differs from a cost allocation problem specifically because the concavity condition does not hold necessarily in the CO2 allocation problem. This implies that a

This narrative and poetic rendering acts as an articulation of a journey of many routes. It is a storying of critical research issues and events as performances of lived experience. It is a metissage of hybrid, but interrelated, themes that find cohesion through fragmentation and coalescence, severance, and regrowth. These themes are invoked by…

This narrative acts as an articulation of a journey of many routes. Following Part I of the same research journey of rootedness/routedness, it debates the nature of transformation and transcendence beyond personal and political paradoxes informed by neoliberalism and related repressive globalizing discourses. Through a more personal, descriptive,…

Full Text Available There are several options for the treatment of varicocele, including surgical repair either by open or microsurgical approach, laparoscopy, or through percutaneous embolization of the internal spermatic vein. The ultimate goal of varicocele treatment relies on the occlusion of the dilated veins that drain the testis. Percutaneous embolization offers a rapid recovery and can be successfully accomplished in approximately 90% of attempts. However, the technique demands interventional radiologic expertise and has potential serious complications, including vascular perforation, coil migration, and thrombosis of pampiniform plexus. This review discusses the common indications, relative contraindications, technical details, and risks associated with percutaneous embolization of varicocele.

Six patients with solitary pyogenic splenic abscesses treated by CT-guided percutaneous drainage (by catheter or needle), are presented. There were 3 unilocular, purely intrasplenic abscesses and 3 complex lesions with loculations and perisplenic involvement. Percutaneous drainage and intravenous antibiotics were curative in 4 patients. In the other 2, who had multiloculated abscesses, despite initially successful drainage, splenectomy was performed because of intractable left upper quadrant pain in one case and persistent fever and drainage of pus after 30 days in the other. These patients also developed large, sterile left pleural effusions. Solitary pyogenic splenic abscesses - particularly if uniloculated - can be effectively treated by CT-guided percutaneous drainage. (orig.)

The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) determines the optimal set of routes used by a fleet of vehicles to serve a given set of customers on a predefined graph; the objective is to minimize the total travel cost (related to the travel times or distances) and operational cost (related to the number of vehicles used). In this paper we study a variant of the predefined graph: given a weighted graph G and vertices a and b, and given a set X of closed paths in G, find the minimum total travel cost of a-b path P such that no path in X is a subpath of P. Path P is allowed to repeat vertices and edges. We use integer programming model to describe the problem. A feasible neighbourhood approach is proposed to solve the model

In this article, we propose an energy-efficient data gathering scheme for wireless sensor network called Sleep-Route, which splits the sensor nodes into two sets - active and dormant (low-power sleep). Only the active set of sensor nodes participate in data collection. The sensing values of the dormant sensor nodes are predicted with the help of an active sensor node. Virtual Sensing Framework (VSF) provides the mechanism to predict the sensing values by exploiting the data correlation among ...

Please note that Route Scherrer will be inaccessible for two and a half months from the beginning of March and that part of Route Einstein will be closed for two weeks from the end of February. Figure 1. The part of Route Scherrer between Building 510 and Building 53 (see Figure 1) will be closed from the beginning of March until mid-May for civil engineering works. The superheated water pipes supplying the buildings in this area date back to 1959 and therefore present a significant risk of leakage. In order to ensure the reliable supply of superheated water, and, by extension, heating, to all premises near the Main Building (i.e. Buildings 500, 501, 503, 60, 62, 63 and 64), a new buried service duct will be installed between the basements of Buildings 53 and 61 to house a new superheated water pipe. Figure 2. The following car parks will, however, remain accessible for the duration of the works: the Cèdres car park, the car park for Buildings 4 and 5, and the ca...

US Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations require a postnotification report from the shipper for all shipments of radioactive materials categorized as a Highway Route Controlled Quantity. These postnotification reports, filed in compliance with 49 CFR 172.203(d), have been compiled by the DOT in a database known as the Radioactive Materials Routing Report (RAMRT) since 1982. The data were sorted by each of its elements to establish historical records and trends of Highway Route Controlled Quantity shipments from 1982 through 1987. Approximately 1520 records in the RAMRT database were compiled for this analysis. Approximately half of the shipments reported for the study period were from the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors, with the others being commercial movements. Two DOE installations, EG and G Idaho and Oak Ridge, accounted for nearly half of the DOE activities. Similarly, almost half of the commercial movements were reported by two vendors, Nuclear Assurance Corporation and Transnuclear, Incorporated. Spent fuel from power and research reactors accounted for approximately half of all shipments

Similar techniques for draining abdominal abscesses are now being applied to abscesses within the chest. This report describes the authors' experience in percutaneous drainage of seven chest abscesses in six children aged 3-13 years (mean, 7.3 years). Four pleural/extrapleural loculations were drained in three patients. Abscess location included right apex (one), right minor fissure (one), and left supradiaphragmatic (two). Collections resulted from esophageal perforation (two) or esophageal anastomotic leak (two). Three lung abscesses were drained in three patients. Abscess location included right lower, left lower, and right middle lobes. All lay adjacent to a pleural surface and were localized by CT or US before drainage. There were no complications. Complete resolution occurred in all six patients without the need for surgical intervention

Six patients with 7 tuberculous psoas or ilio-psoas abscesses were treated by CT-guided catheter drainage and chemotherapy. The abscesses (5 unilateral and 1 bilateral) were completely drained using a posterior or lateral approach. The abscess volume was 70 to 700 ml (mean 300 ml) and the duration of drainage 5 to 11 days (mean 7 days). Immediate local symptomatic improvement was achieved in all patients, and there were no procedural complications. CT follow-up at 3 to 9 months showed normalization in 5 patients, 2 of whom are still in medical therapy. One patient, who did not take the medication regularly, had a recurrent abscess requiring new catheter drainage after which the fluid collection disappeared. Percutaneous drainage represents an efficient and attractive alternative to surgical drainage as a supplement to medical therapy in the management of patients with large tuberculous psoas abscesses. (orig.)

Objective: To study the method of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and investigate its clinical efficacy. Methods: Twenty five cases (13 patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures, 8 cases with metastatic neoplasms and 4 cases with hemangiomas) were treated by the injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) under DSA fluoroscopic guidance. The time of follow-up ranged from 1-15 months. Results: The procedure was successful in all patients. Among 25 patients, 18 experienced with complete relief of pain, 6 with conspicuous relief, 1 with no significant change. Two patients showed transient symptom of radiculopathy and no clinical complication in others. Conclusions: PVP is a safe and feasible treatment for patients with hemangiomas as vertebral fractures caused by malignancies and osteoporosis

AIMS: To evaluate the incidence and causes of rehospitalization within 1-year after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a country where the National Health Service provides universal tax-supported health care, guaranteeing residents free hospital access. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between January.......26-1.34) and Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 3 (OR 3.03;95% CI 2.71-3.27) Conclusions: In an unselected patient cohort treated with PCI, half of the patients were rehospitalized within 1-year, illuminating the impact of comorbidity in patients with ischemic heart disease....... 2010 and September 2014, 17,111 patients were treated with PCI in two University Hospitals in Western Denmark. Patients who were readmitted within 1-year after PCI were identified. Overall 1-year readmission rate was 50.4%. The cause was angina/myocardial infarction (MI) in 4,282 patients (49...

In order to assess changes occurring in disk hernias and disk spaces following percutaneous nucleotomy a follow-up CT was carried out an average of 6 months after treatment of 69 disks in 60 patients. Forty-three of the disks were also reexamined at an average of 11 months after the first follow-up. Twenty-seven percent of the hernias were reduced in size at the first follow-up. Fourteen percent were reduced and 7% had increased between the first and second follow-ups. The medium-sized and large hernias were more frequently reduced compared to the smaller ones. Reduction of the disk space was found in 29% of the cases at first follow-up. An additional 24% were reduced between the first and second follow-ups. No association was demonstrated between change in size of the herniation or disk space and clinical outcome or amount of nucleous material removed at nucleotomy. (orig.).

A cotton-substantive, anionic, fluorescent whitening agent manufactured by several suppliers under various trade names e.g. Tinopal EMS, has been synthesized in radioactive form. Intubation of detergent or aqueous solution into rats resulted in little absorption from the intestinal tract as evidenced by low radioactivity in the urine and tissues. Most of the dose was excreted rapidly in the faeces. After parenteral administration to rats, the radioactivity was rapidly excreted in the faeces with small amounts remaining in tissues and organs. There was slight evidence of retention of radioactivity in the kidneys. Very small amounts of Tinopal EMS in detergent were absorbed through rat skin, but only when concentrations greater than those normally used by the consumer, together with occlusion of the skin were employed. Small amounts were absorbed through skin when applied in ethanol. It is concluded that the possibility of systemic toxic effects in man as a result of percutaneous absorption is remote

A retained intraabdominal Jackson-Pratt drain fragment was percutaneously retrieved using an inflated angioplasty balloon that had been maneuvered inside of the drain lumen over a hydrophilic-coated steerable guidewire

Conclusion: Percutaneous planter fasciitis release under local anesthesia is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed in the outpatient setting. It is easy, quick, effective and moreover with few complications.

The use of gloves during procedures was also evaluated. Methods: A ... University of the Free State: incidence, reporting and ... students in Virginia, USA found that 43% of percutaneous injuries were .... recipients due to time constraints.

Changes in the skin that occur in the elderly may put them at increased risk for altered percutaneous penetration from pharmacotherapy along with potential adverse effects. Skin factors that may have a role in age-related percutaneous penetration include blood flow, pH, skin thickness, hair and pore density, and the content and structure of proteins, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), water, and lipids. Each factor is examined as a function of increasing age along with its potential impact on percutaneous penetration. Additionally, topical drugs that successfully overcome the barrier function of the skin can still fall victim to cutaneous metabolism, thereby producing metabolites that may have increased or decreased activity. This overview discusses the current data and highlights the importance of further studies to evaluate the impact of skin factors in age-related percutaneous penetration.

Full Text Available Objectives: The recurrence of pediatric nephrolithiasis, the morbidity of repeated open surgical treatment as well as our experience in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL in adult patients, all derived us to shift to PNL for managing renal stones >1.5 cm in pediatric patients. Our aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PNL in pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: During the period of the month between May 2011 and April 2013, 38 children (47 renal units underwent PNL for renal stones 1.5-5 cm in length. Patient demographics, stone characteristics, and clinical outcome were prospectively studied. Data of those who underwent conventional and tubeless PNL were compared. Median follow-up period was 12 months (range: 6-24. Results: The median age at presentation was 8-year (range: 3-12. The operative time ranged from 30 to 120 min (median 90. Overall stone clearance rate was 91.5% after single PNL. The median hospital stay was 3 days. Auxiliary procedures were successful for the remaining 4 patients (nephroscopic clearance in one and shockwave lithotripsy in 3. Tubeless PNL was performed in 17 renal units with a comparable outcome to conventional ones. The perioperative complications were noted in 5/47 (10.6% of all procedures (Clavien Grade II in 4 and Clavien Grade IIIa in 1 and were managed conservatively. Conclusions: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy for renal stones in pediatric patients is safe and feasible if performed by a well-experienced endourologist. Tubeless PNL is a better choice for children.

Purpose: To evaluate long-term results of treatment of benign bile duct strictures. Materials and methods: From February 1994 to November 2005, 21 patients (9 men, 12 women) with median age of 50.6 years (range 27-77 years) were indicated to percutaneous treatment of benign bile duct stricture. Stricture of hepatic ducts junction resulting from thermic injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy was indication for treatment in one patient, stricture of hepaticojejunostomy was indication for treatment in all other patients. Clinical symptoms (obstructive jaundice, anicteric cholestasis, cholangitis or biliary cirrhosis) have appeared from 3 months to 12 years after surgery. Results: Initial internal/external biliary drainage was successful in 20 patients out of 21. These 20 patients after successful initial drainage were treated by balloon dilatation and long-term internal/external drainage. Sixteen patients were symptoms free during the follow-up. The relapse of clinical symptoms has appeared in four patients 9, 12, 14 and 24 months after treatment. One year primary clinical success rate of treatment for benign bile duct stricture was 94%. Additional two patients are symptoms free after redilatation (15 and 45 months). One patient is still in treatment, one patient died during secondary treatment period without interrelation with biliary intervention. The secondary clinical success rate is 100%. Conclusion: Benign bile duct strictures of hepatic ducts junction or biliary-enteric anastomosis are difficult to treat surgically and endoscopically inaccessible. Percutaneous treatment by balloon dilatation and long-term internal/external drainage is feasible in the majority of these patients. It is minimally invasive, safe and effective.

To discuss the causes of treatment failure in percutaneous spine injections for low back pain or radiculopathy by analyzing patients who have experienced negative treatment effect on their first visit and a positive treatment effect on their second visit. The authors reviewed the cases of 24 patients who visited the pain intervention outpatient department in our hospital due to back pain or radiculopathy. All patients reviewed experienced a negative treatment effect following their first spine injection, but a positive treatment effect following the second injection. The dates of the cases range from June 2003 to May 2004. Two radiologists analyzed the possible causes of the negative treatment effect following the first injection therapies by considering clinical aspects as well as reviewing radiological images. The most common condition was the presence of the change in the level of the second selective nerve root block (n=13). In seven cases, the methods for administering the injections were changed to facet block (n=2), midline epidural block (n=1), selective nerve root block (n=3) and caudal epidural block (n=1). In four cases, there were no changes in the methods for administering the injections nor were there any changes in the level of the selective nerve root block between first and second visit. In those cases, after reviewing spot radiographs performed during injection, we attributed the causes of failure of injection therapy to an inappropriate distribution of drugs. We can improve the effect of percutaneous spine injections for low back pain or radioculopathy by determining the exact level of perineural root block, trying alternative methods, and insuring a good distribution of the injected drugs

Due to modern examination techniques such as multidetector computed tomography and high-field magnetic resonance imaging, the detection rate of renal neoplasms is continually increasing. Even though tumors exceeding 4 cm in diameter rarely metastasize, all renal lesions that are possible neoplasms should be treated. Traditional treatment techniques include radical nephrectomy or nephron-sparing resection, which are increasingly performed laparoscopically. Modern thermal ablation techniques such as hyperthermal techniques like radiofrequency ablation RFA, laser induced thermal ablation LITT, focused ultrasound FUS and microwave therapy MW, as well as hypothermal techniques (cryotherapy) may be a useful treatment option for patients who are unfit for or refuse surgical resection. Cryotherapy is the oldest and best known thermal ablation technique and can be performed laparoscopically or percutaneously. Since subzero temperatures have no antistyptic effect, additional maneuvers must be performed to control bleeding. Percutaneous cryotherapy of renal tumors is a new and interesting method, but experience with it is still limited. Radiofrequency ablation is the most frequently used method. Modern probe design allows volumes between 2 and 5 cm in diameter to be ablated. Due to hyperthermal tract ablation, the procedure is deemed to be safe and has a low complication rate. Although there are no randomized comparative studies to open resection, the preliminary results for renal RFA are promising and show RFA to be superior to other thermal ablation techniques. Clinical success rates are over 90% for both, cryo- and radiofrequency ablation. Whereas laser induced thermal therapy is established in hepatic ablation, experience is minimal with respect to renal application. For lesions of more than 2 cm in diameter, additional cooling catheters are required. MR thermometry offers temperature control during ablation. Microwave ablation is characterized by small ablation volumes

To review the indications, complications, and outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), that are placed routinely in patients unable to obtain adequate nutrition from oral feeding for swallowing disorders (neurological diseases, head and neck cancer, oesophageal cancer, psychological disorders). Retrospective review of patients referred for PEG placement from 2003 to 2005. Endoscopic Surgery in Section of General and Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Palermo, Italy. A total of 50 patients, 11 women and 39 men, referred our Section for PEG placement. Indications for PEG placement included various neurologic impairment (82%), oesophageal non-operable cancer (6%), cardia non-operable cancer (4%), cerebrovascular accident (2%), anorexia (2%), pharyngeal esophageal obstruction (2%), head and neck cancer (2%). All patients received preoperative antibiotics as short-term profilaxis. 51 PEGs were positioned in 50 patients. No major complications were registered; 45 patients (90%) were alive at 1 year follow-up and no mortality procedure-related was registered. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrotomy removal had been performed on 2 patients as end-point of treatment, and 43 patients continued to have PEGs in use at 2006. Outpatients PEG placement using conscious sedation is a safe and effective method for providing enteral nutrition. This technique constitutes the gold standard treatment for enteral nutrition in patients with neurologic impairment or as prophylactic in patients affected by head and neck cancer who needs demolitive surgery. Patients should be carefully assessed, and discussion with the patient and their families should be held to determine that the patient is an appropriate candidate. The Authors feel prophylactic antibiotics lessened the incidence of cutaneous perigastrostomy infection.

33 abdominal abscesses associated with fistulae in 31 patients were treated by percutaneous drainage. 19 of these patients had had surgery immediately preceding the drainage. In 64% the percutaneous drainage led to a diagnosis of an internal fistula. Additional therapeutic measures, because of the fistula, were necessary in 45% (operation, biliary drainage, repositioning of catheter). The average duration of drainage was 29 days. 77% of those abscesses which could be drained were treated successfully. Mortality in the entire series was 19%. (orig.) [de

A percutaneous catheter which can be looped by means of a nylon thread was used in 32 patients for percutaneous biliary drainage. The catheter can be fixed in this way and is thereby prevented from migrating from the biliary system. The catheter is not suitable for proximal obstructions. Problems may arise during the removal of the nylon thread and loss of looping of the point of catheter. (orig.) [de

This thesis presents how to parallelize a shortest path labeling algorithm. It is shown how to handle Chvátal-Gomory rank-1 cuts in a column generation context. A Branch-and-Cut algorithm is given for the Elementary Shortest Paths Problem with Capacity Constraint. A reformulation of the Vehicle...... Routing Problem based on partial paths is presented. Finally, a practical application of finding shortest paths in the telecommunication industry is shown....

Allergen immunotherapy is the only cure for immunoglobulin E mediated type I respiratory allergies. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) are the most common treatments. In this article, we reviewed new routes of allergen immunotherapy. Data on alternative routes to allow intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT), epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT), local nasal immunotherapy (LNIT), oral immunotherapy (OIT), and oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) were gathered from the literature and were discussed. ILIT features direct injection of allergens into lymph nodes. ILIT may be clinically effective after only a few injections and induces allergen-specific immunoglobulin G, similarly to SCIT. A limitation of ILIT is that intralymphatic injections are required. EPIT features allergen administration by using patches mounted on the skin. EPIT seeks to target epidermal antigen-presenting Langerhans cells rather than mast cells or the vasculature; this should reduce both local and systemic adverse effects. LNIT involves the spraying of allergen extracts into the nasal cavity. Natural or chemically modified allergens (the latter, termed allergoids, lack immunoglobulin E reactivity) are prepared in a soluble form. OIT involves the regular administration of small amounts of a food allergen by mouth and commences with low oral doses, which are then increased as tolerance develops. OMIT seeks to deliver allergenic proteins to an expanded population of Langerhans cells in the mucosa of the oral cavity. ILIT, EPIT, LNIT, OIT, and OMIT are new routes for allergen immunotherapy. They are safe and effective.

Full Text Available The theoretical interpretation of thematic routes helps to predict the effects on the territories visited by cultured tourists who want to enrich their cultural and emotional baggage. After the analysis of some interpretations, this paper will examine how the practical implementation of an itinerary approved by the Council of Europe has evolved over the years. And it will also reflect on the practical results in the areas involved in that project. "The Hannibal Pathway ", the main overland walk on the "Phoenician Route - Cultural Route recognized by the Council of Europe" – represents a case of study that allows to reflect over the impact of cultural tourism based on immaterial heritage. In fact, in the areas where the battle of 21 June 217 BC took place, nothing tangible is left, except the landscape that has kept its conformation intact. In these areas, thanks to the foresight of the local governments in the last three decades, the landscape of the plain has been preserved. This makes possible today to propose an historical path precisely based on the landscape and on the new techniques for the valorization of the heritage. In the Tuoro plain it is possible to see the battlefields, thus retracing the various stages of the battle, supported by the Documentation Centre of the Capra Palace and virtual reconstructions of high technical quality.

VANET (Vehicular Ad-hoc Network) is a new technology which has taken enormous attention in the recent years. Due to rapid topology changing and frequent disconnection makes it difficult to design an efficient routing protocol for routing data among vehicles, called V2V or vehicle to vehicle communication and vehicle to road side infrastructure, called V2I. The existing routing protocols for VANET are not efficient to meet every traffic scenarios. Thus design of an efficient routing protocol h...

In this paper, we discuss several specific threats directed at the routing data of an ad hoc network. We address security issues that arise from wrapping authentication mechanisms around ad hoc routing data. We show that this bolt-on approach to security may make certain attacks more difficult, but still leaves the network routing data vulnerable. We also show that under a certain adversarial model, most existing routing protocols cannot be secured with the aid of digital signatures

We analyze our experience with the management of biliary strictures (BSs) in 27 pediatric patients who underwent liver transplantation with the diagnosis of BS. Mean recipient age was 38 months (range, 2.5-182 months). In all patients percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, biliary catheter placement, and bilioplasty were performed. In 20 patients the stenoses were judged resolved by percutaneous balloon dilatation and the catheters removed. Mean number of balloon dilatations performed was 4.1 (range, 3-6). No major complications occurred. All 20 patients are symptom-free with respect to BS at a mean follow-up of 13 months (range, 2-46 months). In 15 of 20 patients (75%) one course of percutaneous stenting and bilioplasty was performed, with no evidence of recurrence of BS at a mean follow-up of 15 months (range, 2-46 months). In 4 of 20 patients (20%) two courses of percutaneous stenting and bilioplasty were performed; the mean time to recurrence was 9.8 months (range, 2.4-24 months). There was no evidence of recurrence of BS at a mean follow-up of 12 months (range, 2-16 months). In 1 of 20 patients (5%) three courses of percutaneous stenting and bilioplasty were performed; there was no evidence of recurrence of BS at a mean follow-up of 10 months. In conclusion, BS is a major problem following pediatric liver transplantation. Radiological percutaneous treatment is safe and effective, avoiding, in most cases, surgical revision of the anastomosis.

The study develops eco-routing algorithms and investigates and quantifies the system-wide impacts of implementing an eco-routing system. Two eco-routing algorithms are developed: one based on vehicle sub-populations (ECO-Subpopulation Feedback Assign...

Frankish J. S., Roberts R. G., Coad A. and Storey D. J. Is entrepreneurship a route out of deprivation?, Regional Studies. This paper investigates whether entrepreneurship constitutes a route out of deprivation for those living in deprived areas. The measure of income/wealth used is based...... the wealth distribution. Hence, entrepreneurship can be a route out of deprivation....

This paper introduces the Pyramidal Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (PCVRP) as a restricted version of the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP). In the PCVRP each route is required to be pyramidal in a sense generalized from the Pyramidal Traveling Salesman Problem (PTSP). A pyramidal...

This paper introduces the pyramidal capacitated vehicle routing problem (PCVRP) as a restricted version of the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP). In the PCVRP each route is required to be pyramidal in a sense generalized from the pyramidal traveling salesman problem (PTSP). A pyramidal...

Quantitative exercise myocardial scintigraphy (EMS) using Thallium-201 in planar technique was applied in 128 patients prior and subsequent to transluminal coronary angioplasty. The overall sensitivity was 92%, and 88% for multivessel disease. In contrast to previous reports, the sensitivity for lesions of the posterior wall proved not inferior to that for lesions of the anterior wall: RCA-stenoses 92%; LCX-stenoses 100% and RIA-stenoses 93%. The specificity was found to be 88%, and the accuracy 92%. Myocardial ischaemia, as detected by EMS and ex. ECG, amounted to 84% and 72%, respectively in single vessel disease. The degree of ischaemia, which was measured semiquantitatively in terms of score, paralleled that of stenosis. The accuracy for localisation of anterior or posterior wall lesions was 92%. In unsuccessfully treated patients the results were completely reproducible (100%) both in terms of the decision 'CAD yes or no', and regarding the localisation of a myocardial lesion. The reproducibility for detection of myocardial ischaemia was 82%. Conclusion: In comparison with SPECT the quantitative planar EMS procedure using Tl-201 is the method of choice for the detection and assessment of ischaemia prior and subsequent to revascularisation therapy. (orig.) [de

Full Text Available The Silk Route reached its historic and economic apogee under the Mongol Empire (1207–1368, as a direct result of the policies of Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan and his successors. Because the land network proved inefficient for the amount of goods needing transport from one part of the empire to another, the Mongols expanded the Silk Route to ocean shipping and thus created the first Maritime Silk Route. The sea traffic initially expanded the land routes but soon strangled them. With the expansion of the Maritime Silk Route through the fourteenth century, the land connections reverted to local networks and lost their global importance.

Full Text Available Inventory routing problem can be defined as forming the routes to serve to the retailers from the manufacturer, deciding on the quantity of the shipment to the retailers and deciding on the timing of the replenishments. The difference of inventory routing problems from vehicle routing problems is the consideration of the inventory positions of retailers and supplier, and making the decision accordingly. Inventory routing problems are complex in nature and they can be solved either theoretically or using a heuristics method. Metaheuristics is an emerging class of heuristics that can be applied to combinatorial optimization problems. In this paper, we provide the relationship between vendor-managed inventory and inventory routing problem. The proposed genetic for solving vehicle routing problem is described in detail.

Percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy has a high success rate, low morbidity, and can be performed under different levels of sedation or local anesthesia in children. Despite its favourable safety profile, major complications can occur. Few studies have examined peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy in children. To identify potential risk factors and variables influencing the development and early diagnosis of peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy. We conducted a retrospective case-control study of children who developed peritonitis within 7 days of percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy between 2003 and 2012. From the 1,504 patients who underwent percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy, patients who developed peritonitis (group 1) were matched by closest date of procedure to those without peritonitis (group 2). Peritonitis was defined according to recognized clinical criteria. Demographic, clinical, procedural, management and outcomes data were collected. Thirty-eight of 1,504 children (2.5%; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-3.5) who underwent percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy developed peritonitis ≤7 days post procedure (group 1). Fever (89%), irritability (63%) and abdominal pain (55%) occurred on presentation of peritonitis. Group 1 patients were all treated with antibiotics; 41% underwent additional interventions: tube readjustments (8%), aspiration of pneumoperitoneum (23%), laparotomy (10%) and intensive care unit admission (10%). In group 1, enteral feeds started on average 3 days later and patients were discharged 5 days later than patients in group 2. There were two deaths not directly related to peritonitis. Neither age, gender, weight, underlying diagnoses nor operator was identified as a risk factor. Peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy in children occurs in approximately 2.5% of cases. No risk factors for its development were identified. Medical management is usually sufficient for a good outcome

Percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy has a high success rate, low morbidity, and can be performed under different levels of sedation or local anesthesia in children. Despite its favourable safety profile, major complications can occur. Few studies have examined peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy in children. To identify potential risk factors and variables influencing the development and early diagnosis of peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy. We conducted a retrospective case-control study of children who developed peritonitis within 7 days of percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy between 2003 and 2012. From the 1,504 patients who underwent percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy, patients who developed peritonitis (group 1) were matched by closest date of procedure to those without peritonitis (group 2). Peritonitis was defined according to recognized clinical criteria. Demographic, clinical, procedural, management and outcomes data were collected. Thirty-eight of 1,504 children (2.5%; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-3.5) who underwent percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy developed peritonitis ≤7 days post procedure (group 1). Fever (89%), irritability (63%) and abdominal pain (55%) occurred on presentation of peritonitis. Group 1 patients were all treated with antibiotics; 41% underwent additional interventions: tube readjustments (8%), aspiration of pneumoperitoneum (23%), laparotomy (10%) and intensive care unit admission (10%). In group 1, enteral feeds started on average 3 days later and patients were discharged 5 days later than patients in group 2. There were two deaths not directly related to peritonitis. Neither age, gender, weight, underlying diagnoses nor operator was identified as a risk factor. Peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy in children occurs in approximately 2.5% of cases. No risk factors for its development were identified. Medical management is usually sufficient for a good outcome

Percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy has a high success rate, low morbidity, and can be performed under different levels of sedation or local anesthesia in children. Despite its favourable safety profile, major complications can occur. Few studies have examined peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy in children. To identify potential risk factors and variables influencing the development and early diagnosis of peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy. We conducted a retrospective case-control study of children who developed peritonitis within 7 days of percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy between 2003 and 2012. From the 1,504 patients who underwent percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy, patients who developed peritonitis (group 1) were matched by closest date of procedure to those without peritonitis (group 2). Peritonitis was defined according to recognized clinical criteria. Demographic, clinical, procedural, management and outcomes data were collected. Thirty-eight of 1,504 children (2.5%; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-3.5) who underwent percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy developed peritonitis ≤7 days post procedure (group 1). Fever (89%), irritability (63%) and abdominal pain (55%) occurred on presentation of peritonitis. Group 1 patients were all treated with antibiotics; 41% underwent additional interventions: tube readjustments (8%), aspiration of pneumoperitoneum (23%), laparotomy (10%) and intensive care unit admission (10%). In group 1, enteral feeds started on average 3 days later and patients were discharged 5 days later than patients in group 2. There were two deaths not directly related to peritonitis. Neither age, gender, weight, underlying diagnoses nor operator was identified as a risk factor. Peritonitis following percutaneous retrograde gastrostomy in children occurs in approximately 2.5% of cases. No risk factors for its development were identified. Medical management is usually sufficient for a good outcome

To describe the technical feasibility and usefulness of extrahepatic biliary stone removal by balloon sphincteroplasty and occlusion balloon pushing. Fifteen patients with extrahepatic bile duct stones were included in this study. Endoscopic stone removal was not successful in 13 patients, and two patients refused the procedure due to endoscopy phobia. At first, all patients underwent percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). A few days later, through the PTBD route, balloon assisted dilatation for common bile duct (CBD) sphincter was performed, and then the stones were pushed into the duodenum using an 11.5 mm occlusion balloon. Success rate, reason for failure, and complications associated with the procedure were evaluated. Eight patients had one stone, five patients had two stones, and two patients had more than five stones. The procedure was successful in 13 patients (13/15). In 12 of the patients, all stones were removed in the first trial. In one patients, residual stones were discovered on follow-up cholangiography, and were subsequently removed in the second trial. Technical failure occurred in two patients. Both of these patients had severely dilated CBD and multiple stones with various sizes. Ten patients complained of pain in the right upper quadrant and epigastrium of the abdomen immediately following the procedure, but there were no significant procedure-related complications such as bleeding or pancreatitis. Percutaneous extrahepatic biliary stone removal by balloon sphincteroplasty and subsequent stone pushing with occlusion balloon is an effective, safe, and technically feasible procedure which can be used as an alternative method in patients when endoscopic extrahepatic biliary stone removal was not successful.

To describe the technical feasibility and usefulness of extrahepatic biliary stone removal by balloon sphincteroplasty and occlusion balloon pushing. Fifteen patients with extrahepatic bile duct stones were included in this study. Endoscopic stone removal was not successful in 13 patients, and two patients refused the procedure due to endoscopy phobia. At first, all patients underwent percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). A few days later, through the PTBD route, balloon assisted dilatation for common bile duct (CBD) sphincter was performed, and then the stones were pushed into the duodenum using an 11.5 mm occlusion balloon. Success rate, reason for failure, and complications associated with the procedure were evaluated. Eight patients had one stone, five patients had two stones, and two patients had more than five stones. The procedure was successful in 13 patients (13/15). In 12 of the patients, all stones were removed in the first trial. In one patients, residual stones were discovered on follow-up cholangiography, and were subsequently removed in the second trial. Technical failure occurred in two patients. Both of these patients had severely dilated CBD and multiple stones with various sizes. Ten patients complained of pain in the right upper quadrant and epigastrium of the abdomen immediately following the procedure, but there were no significant procedure-related complications such as bleeding or pancreatitis. Percutaneous extrahepatic biliary stone removal by balloon sphincteroplasty and subsequent stone pushing with occlusion balloon is an effective, safe, and technically feasible procedure which can be used as an alternative method in patients when endoscopic extrahepatic biliary stone removal was not successful

textabstractBackground: The development of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy techniques (PDT) has facilitated the procedure in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Objective: To describe the early intra and post-operative complications in ICU patients requiring percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy

A JJ stent is inserted antegradely after percutaneous renal procedures like percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for renal calculus disease, and for endopyelotomy for pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction. We describe a technique for antegrade stent insertion after PCNL. PMID:26413327

A JJ stent is inserted antegradely after percutaneous renal procedures like percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for renal calculus disease, and for endopyelotomy for pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction. We describe a technique for antegrade stent insertion after PCNL.

Novel synthetic routes to nanodispersed compound semiconductors using organometallic precursors have been developed. The quantum dots have been studied by optical absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, infra red spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. Polar Lewis base solvents such as tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and 4-ethylpyridine were utilized as both passivating agent and dispersing medium. In the the search for new solvent systems and passivating agents, and investigation was also made into the use of dimethyl sulfoxide as a reaction solvent and capping agent in the preparation of nanocrystalline CdS. Existing routes using metal alkyls and silylated precursors in hot TOPO were improved by substituting the metal alkyl with an metal alkyl adduct. Cadmium monothiocarbamate and a related precursor, cadmium thioacetate were investigated as possible single source precursors to nanometer sized CdS. The thermolysis of diorganophosphides in the Lewis bases coordinating solvent (4-ethylpridine) has been investigated, including studies of decompositon mechanisms, and quantum dots of Cd 3 P 2 , Zn 3 P 2 , Inp and GaP have been prepared. The synthesis of InAs using the metal chloride and an aminoarsenide precursor in 4-ethylpridine has also been developed. A simple method for the organization of III-V materials into glass like aggregates has been described. (author)

Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty(PBV) was successfully performed in 8 mitral stenosis patients for recent 3 months. Five patients have aortic insufficiencies also and two patients have mitral regurgitations below grade II/IV. All patients showed sinus rhythm on EKG, and had no mitral valvular calcification on echocardiography and fluoroscopy. PBV resulted in an increase in mitral valve area from 1.22±0.22 to 2.57±0.86 cm 2 , a decrease in mean left atrial pressure from 23.4±9.6 to 7.5±3.4 mmHg and a decrease in mean mitral pressure gradient from 21.3±9.4 to 6.8±3.1 mmHg. There were no significant complications except 2 cases of newly appeared and mildly aggravated mitral regurgitation. We believe that PBV will become a treatment modality of choice replacing surgical commissurotomy or valve replacement in a group of mitral stenosis patients, because of its effectiveness and safety

Percutaneous atherectomy with the Simpson atherectomy catheter has been performed at our institution since the third quarter of 1986. The first 45 patients underwent atherectomy with fluoroscopic guidance and multiplane documentary arteriography to assess the anatomic appearance of vessels after atherectomy and to assist in judging the completeness of the procedure. Each of the 45 patients underwent repeated cuts on each lesion until no further atheromatous specimens could be removed. Since late 1987, all lesions subjected to atherectomy have also been examined intraprocedure with an intraarterial US probe 0.040 inches in diameter fixed to a 0.040-inch guide wire and covered by a sonolucent radome. The US images were reviewed in real time and permitted much more accurate placement of the atherectomy catheter to effect more complete removal of the atheromatous material. It is anticipated that the use of the endovascular US device to accurately localize residual atheroma will result in more complete removal of atheroma, in turn decreasing the possibility of recurrence

Full Text Available Objective The aim of this study was to investigate retrorenal colon incidence in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL interventions made in our clinic. Materials and Methods Clinical data of 804 PNL patients, accumulated over a 7 year period (2006-2012, was surveyed. The patient files were reviewed retrospectively, and only those who had abdominal computed tomography (CT images before PNL intervention were included in the study. In the CT images, the position of both the ascending and descending colon in relation to the right and left kidneys were evaluated. Results According to our hospital reports, 394 patients with CT images were included in the present study 27 patients (6.9% had retrorenal colon, of which 18 (4.6% were on the left side, 4 (1.0% on the right side and 5 (1.3% had bilateral retrorenal colons. Colonic perforation complication was seen only in two patients and the colonic perforation rate was 0.3%. These two cases had no CT images. Conclusions PNL, in the process of becoming the standard treatment modality, is a safe and reliable technique for renal stone treatment. Colonic injury should be taken into consideration during PNL interventions of the lower pole of the kidney (especially on the left side due to the location of retrorenal colon.

Given the recent trends in growing per capita radiation dose from medical sources, there have been increasing concerns over patient radiation exposure. Patients with kidney stones undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) are at particular risk for high radiation exposure. There exist several risk factors for increased radiation exposure during PNL which include high Body Mass Index, multiple access tracts, and increased stone burden. We herein review recent trends in radiation exposure, radiation exposure during PNL to both patients and urologists, and various approaches to reduce radiation exposure. We discuss incorporating the principles of As Low As reasonably Achievable (ALARA) into clinical practice and review imaging techniques such as ultrasound and air contrast to guide PNL access. Alternative surgical techniques and approaches to reducing radiation exposure, including retrograde intra-renal surgery, retrograde nephrostomy, endoscopic-guided PNL, and minimally invasive PNL, are also highlighted. It is important for urologists to be aware of these concepts and techniques when treating stone patients with PNL. The discussions outlined will assist urologists in providing patient counseling and high quality of care.

Rapid prototyping is a technique used for creating computer images in three dimensions more efficiently than classic techniques. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a popular method to remove kidney stones; however, broader use by the urologic community has been hampered by the morbidity associated with needle puncture to gain access to the renal calix (bleeding, pneumothorax, hydrothorax, inadvertent colon injury). A training model to improve technique and understanding of renal anatomy could improve complications related to renal puncture; however, no model currently exists for resident training. We created a training model using the rapid prototyping technique based on abdominal CT images of a patient scheduled to undergo PCNL. This allowed our staff and residents to train on the model before performing the operation. This model allowed anticipation of particular difficulties inherent to the patient's anatomy. After training, the procedure proceeded without complication, and the patient was discharged at postoperative day 1 without problems. We hypothesize that rapid prototyping could be useful for resident education, allowing the creation of numerous models for research and surgical training. In addition, we anticipate that experienced urologists could find this technique helpful in preparation for difficult PCNL operations.

During a 5-year period percutaneous nephrolithotripsy through an intercostal space was performed in 56 of 231 procedures. Minimal thoracic complications were seen in 3 of 53 patients with 11th intercostal space tracts into a lower, middle, or upper pole calyx. A working sheath and a pyelostomy drainage catheter were used in all these cases. Hydro- and pneumothorax requiring treatment occurred in 2 of 3 patients with a 10th intercostal space approach into an upper pole calyx combined with improper use of the working sheath and/or the pyelostomy catheter. Review of the literature also indicates that an intercostal approach appears safe when performed via the 11th intercostal space into a lower or middle pole calyx. Thoracic complications occurred when punctures were made towards an upper pole calyx or above the 11th rib. The complications may be limited by identifying the posterior inferior lung border by fluoroscopy during puncture, and performing it under general anesthesia with controlled breath-holding. The use of a working sheath to seal the pleural opening during the procedure and an efficient pyelostomy drainage catheter to allow free drainage of uring and to tamponade the tract postoperatively are also recommended. (orig.).

Objective: To evaluate the clinical application of percutaneous transheaptic gastroesophgeal varices embolization (PTVE) for treatment and prevention of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension. Methods: 48 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension and gastroesophageal varices were treated with PTVE for the prevention and control of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Results: The technical success of PTVE was 97.9% and the rate of hemostasis was 100%. During the procedure, steel coil displacement occurred in 1 case, vagus nerve reflection with blood pressure degression and heart rate decline in 4 cases. After the procedure, 1 patients developed refractory ascites and 1 patients died of abdominal bleeding. 2 cases died of hepatic failure and 2 cases occurred rehaemorrhagia in fore 6 mon. after one year follow-up; 3 cases losed follow-up and 5 cases occurred rehaemorrhagia in the late 6 mon. Conclusion: PTVE is mini-invasive and efficient in treating acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension. Increase of technical success and decreases of morbidity can be achieved on the condition of' proper maneuver. (authors)

Full Text Available Routing in wireless networks has been heavily studied in the last decade. Many routing protocols are based on classic shortest path algorithms. However, shortest path-based routing protocols suffer from uneven load distribution in the network, such as crowed center effect where the center nodes have more load than the nodes in the periphery. Aiming to balance the load, we propose a novel routing method, called Circular Sailing Routing (CSR, which can distribute the traffic more evenly in the network. The proposed method first maps the network onto a sphere via a simple stereographic projection, and then the route decision is made by a newly defined "circular distance" on the sphere instead of the Euclidean distance in the plane. We theoretically prove that for a network, the distance traveled by the packets using CSR is no more than a small constant factor of the minimum (the distance of the shortest path. We also extend CSR to a localized version, Localized CSR, by modifying greedy routing without any additional communication overhead. In addition, we investigate how to design CSR routing for 3D networks. For all proposed methods, we conduct extensive simulations to study their performances and compare them with global shortest path routing or greedy routing in 2D and 3D wireless networks.

Background. Percutaneous cholecystostomy is used for a variety of clinical problems. Methods. Percutaneous cholecystostomy was utilized in a novel setting to resolve a problematic endoscopic situation. Observations. Percutaneous cholecystostomy permitted successful removal of a broken and trapped endoscopic biliary catheter, in addition to helping treat cholecystitis. Conclusion. Another valuable use of percutaneous cholecystostomy is demonstrated, as well as emphasizing the importance of the interplay between endoscopists and interventional radiologists

OBJECTIVE To assess peri-operative outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) using ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance for percutaneous access. METHODS A prospectively collected international CROES database containing 5806 patients treated with PCNL was used for the study. Patients were...... divided into two groups based on the methods of percutaneous access: ultrasound vs. fluoroscopy. Patient characteristics, operative data and post-operative outcomes were compared. RESULTS Percutaneous access was obtained using ultrasound guidance only in 453 patients (13.7%) and fluoroscopic guidance only...

The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis treated by active percutaneous necrosectomy. By searching the radiological, surgical and internal medicine databases, all patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis treated by active percutaneous necrosectomy between 1992 and 2004 were identified. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data, and details about invasive procedures were collected by reviewing patient charts, radiological and surgical reports. The computed tomography severity index (CTSI) scores were determined by reviewing CT images. Eighteen patients were identified. Median Ranson score on admission was 2. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was median 22. Median CTSI score was 7. Initially all patients were treated with CT-guided drainage placement. Because passive drainage proved not to be effective, subsequent minimally invasive, percutaneous necrosectomy was performed. Eight out of 18 patients recovered fully without the need for surgery. Ten of 18 patients required additional surgical necrosectomy. For one of ten patients, percutaneous necrosectomy allowed postponing surgery by 39 days. Four of ten surgically treated patients died: three from septic multiorgan failure, one from pulmonary embolism. Percutaneous minimally invasive necrosectomy can be regarded as a safe and effective complementary treatment modality in patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. It is suitable for a subset of patients to avoid or delay surgery. (orig.)

The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis treated by active percutaneous necrosectomy. By searching the radiological, surgical and internal medicine databases, all patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis treated by active percutaneous necrosectomy between 1992 and 2004 were identified. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data, and details about invasive procedures were collected by reviewing patient charts, radiological and surgical reports. The computed tomography severity index (CTSI) scores were determined by reviewing CT images. Eighteen patients were identified. Median Ranson score on admission was 2. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was median 22. Median CTSI score was 7. Initially all patients were treated with CT-guided drainage placement. Because passive drainage proved not to be effective, subsequent minimally invasive, percutaneous necrosectomy was performed. Eight out of 18 patients recovered fully without the need for surgery. Ten of 18 patients required additional surgical necrosectomy. For one of ten patients, percutaneous necrosectomy allowed postponing surgery by 39 days. Four of ten surgically treated patients died: three from septic multiorgan failure, one from pulmonary embolism. Percutaneous minimally invasive necrosectomy can be regarded as a safe and effective complementary treatment modality in patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. It is suitable for a subset of patients to avoid or delay surgery. (orig.)

The management of peptic ulcers has dramatically changed and the incidence of elective surgery for gastroduodenal peptic ulcers has markedly decreased; hence, the incidence of emergency surgery for perforated peptic ulcers has slightly increased. In select cases, conservative therapy can be used as an alternative for treating perforated gastroduodenal ulcers. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of percutaneous abdominal drainage for the conservative treatment of perforated gastroduodenal ulcers. We retrospectively studied 51 patients who had undergone conservative therapy for perforated gastroduodenal ulcers. These patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of the initial treatment with conservative therapy with or without percutaneous drainage: group PD included patients who had undergone percutaneous drainage and group NPD, patients who had undergone non-percutaneous drainage. In the PD group, 14.3% (n=3) of the patients did not respond to conservative therapy, while this value was 43.3% (n=13) in the NPD group. The 2 groups differed significantly with respect to conversion from conservative therapy to surgery (pperforated gastroduodenal ulcers should be performed only in the case of patients meeting the required criteria; its combination with percutaneous intraperitoneal drainage is effective as initial conservative therapy.

Full text: Introduction: The risk of bile duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is higher than open cholecystectomy. Objective: To discuss the importance of minimally invasive treatment options in the management of bile duct injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and to present our approach in the management. Materials and methods: Management of 25 patients with symptomatic bile duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy was retrospectively evaluated. Percutaneous collection drainage, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and percutaneous biliary drainage were performed for the management of the patients. Results: Mean age of the patients (15 women, 10 men) was 55. Either ultrasonography or computed tomography guided percutaneous drainage was performed in 13 patients. 9 of them completely recovered only with percutaneous drainage. In 4 of them ERCP was performed because of high drainage volume. In 9 of the patients with jaundice and high bilirubin levels ERCP was performed as the first option. And 3 patients were reoperated because of acute abdomen signs. ERCP, MRCP and PTC revealed type A in 7, type E2 in 3, type E3 in 3 and type E4 in 1 of the patients according to Strasberg classification. Conclusion: Presenting symptoms of the patients with symptomatic bile duct injury are useful in the determination of the treatment option.

To determine the efficacy and safety of bedside percutaneous drainage procedures with ultrasound guidance in critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Sixty five percutaneous drainage procedures performed at the bedside, in 39 ICU patients, were evaluated. All of the procedures were performed with ultrasound guidance alone. The procedures consisted of percutaneous drainage of abdominal (n=35) and pleural (n=27) fluids, percutaneous cholecystostomy (n=2) and percutaneous nephrostomy (n=1). The clinical responses were classified as 'complete response', 'partial response', 'failure' or 'undetermined'. The medical records were reviewed retrospectively to evaluate the clinical response. Technical success was achieved in 64 of the 65 procedures (98.5%). The complication rate was 13.8% (9 cases). There was no immediate procedure-related death or worsening of the clinical condition of the patients. The clinical responses after drainage were 'complete response' in 39 cases (60.9%). 'partial response' in 14 (21.9%), 'failure' in 3 (4.7%), and 'undetermined' in 8 (12.5%). Bedside drainage procedures with ultrasound guidance are effective and safe to perform when patients are too critically ill to be moved from the ICU to the angiography room

PurposeCystic echinococcosis (CE) in the spleen is a rare disease even in endemic regions. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of percutaneous treatment for splenic CE.Materials and MethodsTwelve patients (four men, eight women) with splenic CE were included in this study. For percutaneous treatment, CE1 and CE3A splenic hydatid cysts were treated with either the PAIR (puncture, aspiration, injection, respiration) technique or the catheterization technique.ResultsEight of the hydatid cysts were treated with the PAIR technique and four were treated with catheterization. The volume of all cysts decreased significantly during the follow-up period. No complication occurred in seven of 12 patients. Abscess developed in four patients. Two patients underwent splenectomy due to cavity infection developed after percutaneous treatment, while the spleen was preserved in 10 of 12 patients. Total hospital stay was between 1 and 18 days. Hospital stay was longer and the rate of infection was higher in the catheterization group. Follow-up period was 5–117 months (mean, 44.8 months), with no recurrence observed.ConclusionThe advantages of the percutaneous treatment are its minimal invasive nature, short hospitalization duration, and its ability to preserve splenic tissue and function. As the catheterization technique is associated with higher abscess risk, we suggest that the PAIR procedure should be the first percutaneous treatment option for splenic CE.

Since its introduction by Dantzig and Ramser in 1959, vehicle routing problem keeps evolving in theories, applications and variability. The evolution in computing and technology are also important contributors to research in solving vehicle routing problem. The main sectors of interests among researchers and practitioners for vehicle routing problem are transportation, distribution and logistics. However, literature found that concept and benefits of vehicle routing problem are not taken advantages of by researchers in the field of investment. Other methods found used in investment include multi-objective programming, linear programming, goal programming and integer programming. Yet the application of vehicle routing problem is not fully explored. A proposal on a framework of the fund allocation optimization using vehicle routing problem is presented here. Preliminary results using FTSE Bursa Malaysia data testing the framework are also given.

A system for routing data in a network comprising a network logic device at a sending node for determining a path between the sending node and a receiving node, wherein the network logic device sets one or more selection bits and one or more hint bits within the data packet, a control register for storing one or more masks, wherein the network logic device uses the one or more selection bits to select a mask from the control register and the network logic device applies the selected mask to the hint bits to restrict routing of the data packet to one or more routing directions for the data packet within the network and selects one of the restricted routing directions from the one or more routing directions and sends the data packet along a link in the selected routing direction toward the receiving node.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been involved in transportation logistics of radioactive wastes as part of the overall waste transportation program. A Spent Fuel Logistics Model (SFLM), was developed to predict overall material balances representing the flow of spent fuel assemblies from reactors to away-from-reactor storage facilities and/or to federal repositories. The transportation requirements to make these shipments are also itemized. The next logical step in the overall transportation project was the development of a set of computer codes which would predict likely transportation routes for waste shipments. Two separate routing models are now operational at ORNL. Routes for truck transport can be estimated with the HIGHWAY program, and rail and barge routes can be predicted with the INTERLINE model. This paper discusses examples of the route estimates and applications of the routing models

Multi-Attribute Decision Theory is applied to rank II alternative routes to nuclear proliferation in order of difficulty in acquiring nuclear weapons by nonnuclear countries. The method is based on reducing the various variables affecting the decision to a single function providing a measure for the proliferation route. The results indicate that the most difficult route to obtain atomic weapons is through nuclear power reactors, specifically the liquid-metal fast breeder reactor, heavy water Canada deuterium uranium reactor, and light water reactors such as boiling water and pressurized water reactors. The easiest routes are supercritical centrifuge isotope separation, laser isotope separation, and research reactor. However, nonnuclear routes available that result in substantial damage to life and property are easier than any nuclear route

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to report our experience of percutaneous retrieval of dislodged port catheters with concurrent use of pigtail and loop snare catheters. During a 5-year period at our institute (June 2005 to July 2010, a total of 23 dislodged port catheters were retrieved. The interval between port catheter implantation and dislodged catheter retrieval ranged from 43 days to 1,414 days (mean 586.7 days. The time of delayed retrieval ranged from 1 day to 45 days (mean 4.6 days. All dislodged catheters were retrieved with the concurrent use of pigtail and loop snare catheters via femoral venous route. The prevalence of port catheter dislodgement at our institute was 3.4%. All dislodged port catheters were removed successfully with pigtail and loop snare catheters together. No procedure-related complications were encountered, except for transient arrhythmia in two patients, which required no medication. In conclusion, the concurrent use of pigtail and loop snare catheters is a feasible and easy way for percutaneous retrieval of a dislodged central venous port catheter.

To introduce a novel ab interno 360° trabeculotomy for treating primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) and juvenile open angle glaucoma (JOAG) and report preliminary results. A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent a gonioscopy assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) procedure by four of the authors (DSG, OS, RLF and DGG) between October 2011 and October 2013. The surgery was performed in patients ≤30 years old with a dysgenic anterior segment angle and uncontrolled PCG and JOAG. Fourteen eyes of 10 patients underwent GATT with follow-up >12 months (12-33 months; mean 20.4). Patients ranged in age from 17 months to 30 years (mean=18.4 years), and five (50%) were female patients. No complications occurred during or following surgery except for early postoperative hyphema in five (36%) of eyes, all cleared by 1 month. The mean intraocular pressure (IOP) decreased from 27.3 to 14.8 mm Hg and the mean number of medications required decreased from 2.6 to 0.86. Five eyes had a drop in IOP ≥15 mm Hg (range 15-39). The preliminary results and safety for GATT, a minimally invasive conjunctival sparing circumferential trabeculotomy, are promising and at least equivalent to previous results for ab externo trabeculotomy for the treatment of PCG and JOAG. All eyes in the study were considered a clinical success. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Objective: To evaluate the practicability and safety of the percutaneous transbrachial approach (TBA) for diagnostic coronary angiography and therapeutic percutaneous coronary interventions. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology- National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) from March 2009 to May 2011. Patients and Methods: We collected data of 100 consecutive patients who underwent coronary catheterization by the percutaneous transbrachial approach. Transbrachial catheterization was performed only if the radial access failed or radial pulse was feeble. Study endpoints included successful brachial artery catheterization, vascular and neurological complications at access site and procedure success rate. Results: Mean age of the patients was 54 years (range 33-79 yrs) and 65(65%) were males and 35 (35%) were females. The right brachial artery was used in all of the cases. Procedural success was achieved in 100% of the patients. Coronary angiography was performed in 70 patients and percutaneous coronary interventions were done in 30 cases. Out of these 30 cases, PCI to left coronary arteries (LAD and LCX) were performed in 19 patients while 11 patients had PCI to right coronary artery (RCA). No case of vascular complications such as major access site bleeding, vascular perforation, brachial artery occlusion causing forearm ischemia, compartment syndrome, vascular spasm or failure to catheterize coronary arteries requiring alternate vascular access were observed. Conclusion: Brachial artery is a safe and easily accessible approach for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary interventions. (author)

Fuel cost contributes to a significant portion of operating cost in cargo transportation. Though classic routing models usually treat fuel cost as input data, fuel consumption heavily depends on the travel speed, which has led to the study of optimizing speeds over a given fixed route. In this paper, we propose a joint routing and speed optimization problem to minimize the total cost, which includes the fuel consumption cost. The only assumption made on the dependence between the fuel cost an...

In cattle, percutaneous needle liver biopsy is used for scientific examination of liver metabolism. The impact of the biopsy procedure is, however, poorly investigated. Our aim was to examine the behaviour of dairy cows during and after liver biopsy. Data were collected from 18 dry cows....... Percutaneous needle liver biopsies (after administration of local anaesthesia (2% Procaine)) and blood samples were taken during restraining. During the control treatment, animals were restrained and blood sampled. During the biopsy procedure, cows showed increased restlessness (P = 0.008), frequency of head...... behavioural changes for up to 19 h – and particularly for behaviour previously associated with pain. Even though the exact welfare impact of percutaneous needle liver biopsies in cows is not known, and the magnitude of the behavioural changes was limited, pain always has negative effects on animal welfare...

Full Text Available Adrenalectomy is the definite treatment for aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA. Percutaneous ethanol or acetic acid injection with computed tomography (CT guidance has been described as a safe, noninvasive, and effective alternative treatment modality in patients with high surgical risk. We report on a man who was 49 years of age and presented with treatment-resistant hypertension and was later diagnosed with APA. CT-guided percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI was performed for this high surgical risk patient. He had aldosteronism recurrence 4 years after the ethanol injection, so a second PEI was performed. The tumor size was reduced and his blood pressure was normalized. Therefore, we suggest that clinicians should closely check aldosterone to renin ration and potassium level if percutaneous chemical ablation is considered in functioning adrenal adenomas.

Pelvic fractures may lead to severe retroperitoneal bleeding. Percutaneous catheter embolisation has become an increasingly important therapeutic alternative to surgical intervention. Most studies dealing with this problem have been small and we have attempted to evaluate the method on the basis of our own experience and a review of the literature. The success rate of percutaneous embolisation appears to be about 94%. The use of blood transfusion dropped from an average of 25.7 units before embolisation to an average of 6.5 units after embolisation. In spite of this, mortality in these patients remains high at 43.3% because of the serious additional injuries. The advantages and disadvantages of various embolising materials are discussed and various techniques of percutaneous embolisation are described. (orig.) [de

Percutaneous arterial embolization in the treatment of liver trauma. Liver trauma requires emergency therapy. Because it is highly vascular and because of its location, the hemostasis is difficult to achieve. The main causes of death associated to liver trauma are due to prolonged hipovolemia. The current forms of surgical treatment of liver wounds are associated with a high morbidity rate. In some hepatic injuries, hemorrage is so massive that operative control of bleeding is necessary, bu t in most cases, particularly in blunt trauma, an angiographic approach with diagnosis and embolotherapy is preferable. Six patients with blunt or perforating hepatic trauma were managed with percutaneous arterial embolization. Hemostasis was achieved immediately in all of them withoyt recurrence. Surgical intervention with additional trauma was thus avoided, decreasing the morbidity rate. The percutaneous arterial embolization presents an efficient alternative in the management of hemorrage due to liver trauma, being particularly useful in the poor risk patient. (author) [pt

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the recommended treatment for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Despite substantial evidence of its effectiveness, only 40–45% of European STEMI patients are currently treated with PPCI and there are large ...... is needed. Keywords Primary percutaneous coronary intervention, acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction, implementation, practice variation, registry data......Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the recommended treatment for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Despite substantial evidence of its effectiveness, only 40–45% of European STEMI patients are currently treated with PPCI and there are large...... the diffusion of PPCI in Europe. The lack of complete implementation and large national and regional differences arise from the interplay between technology, patients, policy makers, culture and resources. Explanations for the variation in treatment access still remain a puzzle and access to valid data...

Nine peritoneovenous shunts were positioned by percutaneous technique in seven patients with advanced malignancy causing severe refractory ascites, and in two patients with hepatic cirrhosis (one with hepatocarcinoma). In all patients the shunts were percutaneously placed through the subclavian vein in the angiographic suite under digital fluoroscopic guide. No complications directly related to the procedure occurred. The shunt was successfully positioned in all patients in 60 min average time. No patient showed symptoms related to pulmonary overload or to disseminated intravascular coagulation. All patients had a significant improvement of the objective symptoms related to ascites such as respiratory symptoms, dyspepsia, and functional impairment to evacuation describing an improvement of their quality of life. Maximum shunt patency was 273 days. Percutaneous placement of peritoneovenous shunt is a safe, fast, and inexpensive procedure, extremely useful in resolution of refractory ascites, reducing symptoms, and allowing effective palliation, with a great improvement in quality of life. (orig.)

Nine peritoneovenous shunts were positioned by percutaneous technique in seven patients with advanced malignancy causing severe refractory ascites, and in two patients with hepatic cirrhosis (one with hepatocarcinoma). In all patients the shunts were percutaneously placed through the subclavian vein in the angiographic suite under digital fluoroscopic guide. No complications directly related to the procedure occurred. The shunt was successfully positioned in all patients in 60 min average time. No patient showed symptoms related to pulmonary overload or to disseminated intravascular coagulation. All patients had a significant improvement of the objective symptoms related to ascites such as respiratory symptoms, dyspepsia, and functional impairment to evacuation describing an improvement of their quality of life. Maximum shunt patency was 273 days. Percutaneous placement of peritoneovenous shunt is a safe, fast, and inexpensive procedure, extremely useful in resolution of refractory ascites, reducing symptoms, and allowing effective palliation, with a great improvement in quality of life. (orig.)